93 Billion Won Invested in Public Technology Commercialization... "Accelerating Market Entry for Research Outcomes"

The government has significantly increased the relevant budget and is launching new projects in earnest to expand the commercialization of public research outcomes. The support system to accelerate the market entry of laboratory technologies has also been reorganized.

The Korea Institute for the Advancement of Science and Technology Commercialization, under the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced on March 27 that it has expanded the budget for public research commercialization and startup support by approximately 75% compared to the previous year and has established an integrated support system focused on field demand.

Next-Generation Promising Seed Technology Commercialization Project Implementation System. Korea Institute of Science and Technology Commercialization Promotion Agency

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As a result, the related budget will increase from 53.195 billion won in 2025 to 93.052 billion won in 2026.

The institute has integrated five previously separate projects into the "Public Research Outcome Commercialization and Startup Support Project" and is also promoting new initiatives to support the early commercialization of research outcomes.

The newly introduced projects are the "Support for Promoting the Dissemination of Outstanding National R&D Research Outcomes" and the "Public Research Outcome Demonstration Pilot Project." The key is to support the linkage between proof of concept and commercialization of laboratory-level technologies, enabling them to enter the market.

In particular, the open innovation model, in which university research institutes and startups jointly conduct R&D, will be further strengthened. Through this, the plan is to simultaneously promote technological innovation, commercialization, and workforce development.

The response from the field has also been enthusiastic. When the institute began recruiting new projects in February, the average competition rate reached 12.2 to 1.

Specifically, the joint innovation R&D support for university research institutes and startups recorded the highest competition rate at 18.5 to 1, followed by support for promoting the dissemination of outstanding national R&D research outcomes at 12.3 to 1, the next-generation promising seed technology commercialization fast track at 10.3 to 1, and the public research outcome demonstration pilot project at 8.4 to 1, indicating a generally high level of competition.

Korea Institute for the Advancement of Science and Technology Commercialization CI

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This project overhaul is focused on connecting technologies that have remained in laboratories to actual industries. The aim is to support the entire cycle from basic research, technology advancement, proof of concept, to commercialization, so that technology transfer and startup creation can follow.

The next-generation promising seed technology commercialization fast track project features a researcher-driven approach to rapidly advance basic research outcomes and elevate them to the stage where companies can utilize them. Meanwhile, the demonstration pilot project emphasizes verifying laboratory technologies in real-world environments to enhance their commercialization potential.

Byung-guk Kim, President of the Korea Institute for the Advancement of Science and Technology Commercialization, said, "The high competition rate shows how eager researchers and companies are for public technologies to enter the market," adding, "We will strengthen support so that research outcomes can quickly lead to industrial applications."

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