SKC Strengthens Collaboration with the National Academy of Engineering, Korea's Top Engineering Experts Group, to Boost Materials Industry

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] SKC has partnered with the Korea Academy of Engineering (KAE), the most prestigious institution in the field of engineering technology in Korea, to enhance the business competitiveness of startups, ventures, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to strengthen the industrial ecosystem. The KAE, which counts leading scholars in engineering and CEOs from the industry as its members, contributes to the development of engineering and industry by discovering outstanding engineering talents and proposing industrial and technological policies.

On the 27th, SKC President Lee Wan-jae signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for “Strengthening the Open Platform Based on New Materials Technology” with KAE Chairman Kwon Oh-kyung, Executive Vice Chairman Park Dong-gun, and Chair of the Technology Management Policy Committee Na Kyung-hwan.

Members of the KAE, who possess the highest level of expertise in Korea, will directly provide concrete and specialized consulting in areas such as management, factory operations, and research and development to companies participating in the “Open Platform Based on New Materials Technology” (Open Platform). The KAE will also support investment attraction and conduct professional seminars on technology and management.

The Open Platform is a commercialization support program for startups, ventures, and SMEs established in 2017, led by SKC, to revitalize the domestic materials industry ecosystem. Currently, 15 participating organizations, including Ulsan Creative Economy Innovation Center, R&D Strategy Planning Group, Deloitte Anjin Accounting Corporation, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, Shinhan Bank, Korea Technology Finance Corporation, Korea Startup Forum, and Sejong Law Firm, support capacity building through tangible and intangible infrastructure. With the participation of the KAE, the Open Platform now has an even stronger support system.

Kwon Oh-kyung, Chairman of the KAE, said, “Since 2016, the KAE has been providing technology consulting and investment attraction support for ‘Technology Incubation Program for Startups’ (TIPS) companies.” He added, “We are pleased to be able to support more startups and SMEs through SKC’s Open Platform.”

Lee Wan-jae, President of SKC, stated, “We will do our best to develop Korea’s materials industry by establishing a system to cooperate with more specialized institutions and lowering the barriers so that more materials companies can participate.”

SKC, which established the Open Platform Based on New Materials Technology in 2017, launched the ‘SKC Startup Plus Contest’ in 2018 to select companies participating in the Open Platform. Since then, it has been focusing on expanding the Open Platform by increasing the number of participating organizations and companies with specialized capabilities. As a result, in May of this year, SKC was selected as the 14th ‘Jasanghan Company’ (Voluntary Win-Win Cooperation Company) by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.