Mokwon University’s ‘First Laboratory Venture Startup’ Donates 20 Million KRW to Development Fund

On the 7th, at the Mokwon University headquarters, President Kwon Hyuk-dae (right) and An Byung-guk, CEO of Hi-An Ceramic (left), posed for a commemorative photo after the university development fund donation ceremony. Photo by Mokwon University

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Mokwon University’s first laboratory venture startup, ‘HiAn Ceramic,’ has donated a development fund to the university. A laboratory venture refers to a startup company founded within a university laboratory (research lab).

According to Mokwon University on the 7th, HiAn Ceramic’s CEO Ahn Byung-gu delivered 20 million KRW to the university as a development fund on that day.

HiAn Ceramic was established in 2005 under the leadership of Ahn Byung-guk, head of the Ceramic Design Department at Mokwon University’s College of Art and Design. The company’s purpose is to support scholarships for enrolled students, assist employment and entrepreneurship through practical training, and develop ceramic cultural products.

The company’s members include alumni from the Ceramic Design Department. This aligns with the original purpose of the company’s establishment, which is to support graduates’ startups related to their major and to create jobs through projects such as internship programs and long-term employment support.

Currently, HiAn Ceramic is achieving results by producing ceramic urns in cooperation with its partner company, The Clay Co., Ltd., and supplying them to the top one or two funeral service companies in Korea.

Additionally, the company produces ceramic promotional items as local cultural products and plays a role in passing on knowledge and skills related to the overall ceramic industry to enrolled students based on the practical experience accumulated by its executives and employees.

Mokwon University President Kwon Hyuk-dae said, “We will support HiAn Ceramic, which possesses world-class urn manufacturing technology, to grow into a larger company together with the university,” and added, “The university will use the development fund provided by HiAn Ceramic as a foundation for nurturing outstanding talent.”

Meanwhile, Mokwon University’s Planning Department established regulations for laboratory venture startups last year under the ‘Special Measures Act on Fostering Venture Businesses (Venture Business Act)’ and is focusing on promotional activities to expand laboratory venture startups targeting professors and others.

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