Kookmin University Technology Holdings Wins 2023 Korea Academy of Management Education Innovation Management Award

by Jung Jin

Published 17 May.2023 14:05(KST)

[△Photo by 2023 Innovation Management Awards Ceremony]

Kookmin University (President Lim Hong-jae) announced that on the 13th (Saturday), at the 2023 Spring Academic Conference of the Korean Academy of Management Education (President Kim Kyung-hwan) held on the 6th floor of the Toegye Humanities Building at Sungkyunkwan University, its university technology holding company, Kookmin University Technology Holding Co., Ltd. (hereinafter Kookmin Tech Holding), received the Innovation Management Award.

Kookmin Tech Holding was recognized for establishing a virtuous cycle system that commercializes technologies created through university research and reinvests the resulting achievements and profits back into research and development, earning the Innovation Management Award from the Korean Academy of Management Education.

In just over four years since its establishment, Kookmin Tech Holding has shown remarkable growth in technology transfer and technology startups by enhancing and commercializing the university’s creative assets. In particular, its strength lies in post-management support unique to Kookmin Tech Holding, which continuously identifies technical difficulties faced by industry-academic cooperation family companies that have received technology transfers through collaboration with the LINC 3.0 project group and supports additional technology development and investment attraction through excellent patent creation via IP-R&D.

Kookmin University’s technology transfer income grew from 1.45 billion KRW in 2020 to 2.076 billion KRW in 2022. Last year, it ranked 4th nationwide in technology transfer income per science and technology professor in the JoongAng Ilbo university evaluation, proving its excellent research productivity. It operates three investment associations, including a university startup fund, and continues its steep growth by investing in a total of 38 technology startup companies based on laboratory startups, including 30 subsidiaries. Last year, it completed registration as an accelerator with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and was newly selected as an operator of the TIPS program, a private investment-led technology startup support program, embarking on a new challenge as a company builder-type technology holding company.

Remarkably, despite most technology holding companies facing management difficulties, Kookmin Tech Holding succeeded in turning a profit within just two years of its establishment. Even last year, despite increased costs due to the establishment of new subsidiaries and recruitment of investment professionals, it achieved a net profit of approximately 248 million KRW through partial sales of subsidiary shares.

Oh Ha-ryeong, CEO of Kookmin Tech Holding (Vice President of Industry-Academic Research), stated, “It is most important to establish a foundation for self-reliance by generating sustainable profits, moving away from dependence on the university and the industry-academic cooperation foundation.” He added, “We will do our best to become an entrepreneurial university that leads the development of the northern Seoul area through cooperation with nearby universities, local governments, and private investors.”