Gwanak District and Seoul National University Finally Selected for the 2026 Seoul Campus Town Project

“A Big Step Toward a Complete Startup Ecosystem”
Securing Up to 1.2 Billion Won Annually for Four Years
Full-Scale Launch of Campus Town 3.0

Gwanak District in Seoul (Mayor Park Junhee) announced on the 19th that it has been finally selected for the “2026 Seoul Campus Town Project” competition, which it applied for jointly with Seoul National University, on the 18th. With this, the district has taken another step toward becoming a “city ideal for startups.”

Scene from the Gwanak S Valley startup event jointly hosted by Gwanak District and Seoul Campus Town last June. In the center is Park Junhee, mayor of Gwanak District. Provided by Gwanak District.

The district has been promoting the Campus Town project in cooperation with Seoul National University, having been selected for the 3rd Comprehensive Program in 2020 and the 6th Startup Program last year, securing approximately 11 billion won in municipal funding. Having been selected for its third competition this year, the district will secure an additional annual project budget of 1.2 billion won for up to four years starting next year.

Gwanak District and Seoul National University presented a business plan under the vision of “First Mover, the Global Deep Tech Youth Startup Innovation Hub Changing the World with AI,” focusing on creating a global startup innovation hub where the local community and the university can thrive together.

The selection was determined through a review process evaluating criteria set by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, such as fostering AI-based startups, supporting the growth and independence of promising companies, and linking with the Seoul-style RISE (Regional Innovation-led University Support System).

The district plans to launch the “Campus Town 3.0” project in earnest by combining this project budget with Gwanak District’s own funds and matching funds from Seoul National University. In particular, the district aims to establish a “fully developed startup ecosystem” by creating an AI and deep tech startup ecosystem linked to Gwanak S Valley, supporting entry into global markets, and expanding large-scale startup support facilities.

The Seoul Campus Town project is a collaborative effort among the Seoul Metropolitan Government, universities, and local districts to discover youth startups based on universities’ outstanding resources, thereby creating youth jobs and fostering promising companies. In addition, by commercializing innovative technologies owned by universities, the project seeks to promote the self-sustaining growth of a “university-centered startup ecosystem” and mutual prosperity with the local community.

Since 2020, the district has secured and operated four Campus Town hub spaces in the Nakseongdae-dong and Daehak-dong areas. As of May this year, a total of 316 teams have moved into Campus Town, creating 2,407 jobs and attracting approximately 157.9 billion won in investment.

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak District, said, “As a result of establishing Gwanak S Valley together with Seoul National University since 2018 and supporting youth startups, we have been selected for the Campus Town project for the third time. Going forward, we will do our utmost to secure Gwanak District’s future growth engine by becoming a ‘global youth startup hub’ based on Seoul National University’s outstanding human and material resources.”

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