Pohang City Establishes Global Collaboration System for Secondary Batteries... Securing Leading-edge Technology

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Selects Projects for 'Global Cooperation Support for Advanced Strategic Secondary Battery Industry'

Mayor Lee Kangduk: "We Will Lead Korea's Secondary Battery Global Technological Superiority"

Pohang City is accelerating its efforts to realize the vision of becoming a leader in battery technology by actively establishing a global research collaboration ecosystem to secure cutting-edge secondary battery technology.

Pohang City held the "Battery Open Innovation Program Operation Business Agreement Ceremony" last April to promote innovative technology development and foster new business in the battery sector.

Pohang City announced that a consortium including POSTECH, RIST, and other leading domestic and international companies, universities, and research institutes has been finally selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's "Global Cooperation Support Project for Advanced Strategic Industries in Secondary Batteries."

This project is an initiative by the Ministry to strengthen the global competitiveness of K-batteries and secure unrivaled technology by supporting global cooperation and joint research between leading overseas institutions and domestic demand companies in the field of secondary batteries.

For this project, top-tier regional innovation research institutions in the secondary battery field such as POSTECH and RIST, as well as leading overseas institutions and outstanding companies including UC Santa Barbara in the United States, Indian Institute of Technology, POSCO Future M, and Renewus, participated as principal and joint research organizations. The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, the national measurement standards agency, will serve as the overall coordinating institution, simultaneously promoting technology development and standardization.

Over the next three years, until 2026, the project will receive 7 billion KRW in government funding to develop: ▲ a full-cycle reliability evaluation system for sustainable secondary battery cathode materials ▲ core materials for ultra-long-life mid-nickel with low volume expansion ▲ electrode technology that minimizes the content of highly conductive additives ▲ and wastewater treatment technology in cathode active material and electrode manufacturing processes.

In particular, through this research, the development of water treatment, water reuse, and resource circulation technologies for secondary battery wastewater will not only secure sustainable industrial competitiveness but also enable Pohang City to secure a technological edge through global technology linkage. Based on these achievements, the city aims to drive global standardization, positioning Pohang as a core hub for secondary battery industry technology development in the future.

The city plans to use this project as a catalyst to establish a global industry-academia-research cooperation network centered on POSTECH, fostering joint technology development through collaboration among global research institutes, domestic and international universities, and secondary battery companies. Pohang aims to become an innovation hub for secondary battery R&D, strengthening national industrial competitiveness and securing global leadership in the secondary battery industry.

Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "As the competition for technological supremacy among major countries intensifies, it is urgent to develop technology through cooperation with leading overseas institutions and companies in order to gain an advantage. Pohang City, which possesses the nation's top core industrial capabilities in secondary batteries, will do its utmost to lead Korea's global technological edge and serve as a platform for this advancement."

Lee Gangdeok, mayor of Pohang, is explaining the achievements made through efforts to diversify industries such as secondary batteries at the press conference held last month to mark the 10th anniversary of his inauguration.

Following the designation of a specialized secondary battery complex in July last year, Pohang City has continued to solidify its position as Korea's leading city for secondary batteries by securing designations for a Global Corporate Innovation Park, a battery-specialized graduate school, and a secondary battery opportunity development zone this year.

Additionally, the city plans to establish a Secondary Battery Open Innovation Center to foster comprehensive industrial development, including advanced technology development, corporate support, and talent cultivation. This center will serve as a hub where technology and talent interact to create new value.

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