Dongseo University Anchor Project Team Wins Grand Prize at Campus Living Lab Local Problem-Solving Idea Contest

[Financial News] Dongseo University said on the 31st that its Anchor Project Team achieved strong results at the final judging session of the "Campus Living Lab Local Problem-Solving Idea Contest," held on the 27th at Hanwha Resort Haeundae, with one team winning the grand prize and two teams receiving excellence awards.
The contest was co-hosted by Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (BCCEI), Dongseo University, Korea Maritime & Ocean University (KMOU), Dong-A University, and Dong-Eui University.
It was designed to help young people in Busan identify local community problems directly through the living lab approach and propose solutions, while fostering a citizen-participation innovation culture.
Rather than stopping at simple idea generation, the program focused on step-by-step customized support, from prototype development to investor relations presentations, so that participants' ideas could grow into practical startup items and expand their commercialization opportunities.
A total of 50 teams, or 142 people, including university and graduate students and prospective entrepreneurs from the Busan area, took part in the contest, showing strong interest.
Since April, the teams went through a structured process that included entrepreneurship education, idea development, interim evaluations, and prototype implementation. In the end, seven teams advanced to the final stage.
Among them, three Dongseo University teams reached the finals and all received awards, earning recognition for their innovative ideas.
The iGuard team, which won the grand prize, the Busan Metropolitan City mayor's award, proposed an "AI-based modular airbag safety fence for school zones" to prevent vehicle collision risks that can occur on the region's steep slopes. The team, made up of students from the Department of Architectural Engineering Je Seong-hyeon and Yoon Jun-hyeok, received high marks for practicality thanks to features such as real-time AI-based hazard detection, a high-strength steel frame, and shock absorption and debris prevention functions.
The Suwora team, which received an excellence award, also developed a "sign language tourism guide avatar kiosk" for people with hearing impairments. Working with the Busan Association of the Deaf on living lab verification, the team drew attention by proposing the creation of a barrier-free tourism city.
The BioRoad team also earned praise by presenting an eco-friendly insulation material idea that uses green algae recycling, taking local environmental issues into account and suggesting a way to turn waste into resources.
Hwang Gi-hyeon, head of Dongseo University's Anchor Project Team and dean of industry-academic cooperation, said, "We will steadily strengthen students' startup readiness through systematic education, mentoring, and intensive support for MVP production." He added, "We will provide full support so that young people's excellent ideas can lead to actual commercialization and contribute to revitalizing the local startup ecosystem."
[email protected] Byeon Ok-hwan Reporter