Three Italian Companies, Including Energy Giant Eni, Visit Korea to Partner with Korean Materials, Parts and Equipment Firms

[Financial News] Global companies representing the United States, Europe and Japan are partnering with Korean materials, parts and equipment companies to revive manufacturing, restructure supply chains and reduce dependence on specific countries.
Three Italian companies, including leading global oil and gas company Eni, are also visiting Korea to pursue supply-chain cooperation with Korean materials, parts and equipment companies. This reflects growing activity in supply-chain and technology cooperation.
The Italian companies visited Korea at the invitation of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Mind the Bridge, a venture capital firm and global open-innovation advisory company. They participated in the 2026 Korea-Italy International Technology Cooperation Consultation, held at a Seoul hotel on the 8th to explore partnerships with Korean materials, parts and equipment companies.
The 2026 Korea-Italy International Technology Cooperation Consultation was held to implement the expansion of advanced-industry cooperation discussed at the Korea-Italy summit in June this year. The results of the consultations were also linked to the Strategic Technology International Joint Technology Development Program for advanced materials, parts and equipment, organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, allowing them to lead to participation in the program.
The International Joint Technology Development Program identifies demand for materials, parts and equipment cooperation needed for global companies to develop new products and supports joint technology development with Korean companies. Selected companies can receive up to 1 billion won per year in technology development funding for up to three years.
Three global companies visited Korea for the one-on-one consultations held that day: Italy’s largest state-owned energy company Eni, major public utility A2A, and Terranova, a digital solutions company specializing in energy and water resources.
Eni, one of the world’s seven largest oil and gas companies, is pursuing the development of hydrogen and lithium batteries with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. A2A, an Italian integrated utility company, operates businesses in gas and power networks, environmental services, waste management and the circular economy.
Eleven Korean companies also took part, including WI.Plat, a developer of AI-based water-supply leak management systems and sensors, and TerraLIX, which possesses air-cooled hydrogen fuel-cell stack technology. They held a total of 11 consultations with the Italian companies.
Tae-Young Kim, CEO of TerraLIX, said, "The Italian buyers showed strong interest in our hydrogen fuel-cell stack technology during the consultation and proposed further discussions. We will use these consultations on joint technology and product development as an opportunity to increase our chances of entering the Italian and European markets."
Meanwhile, KOTRA held a global partnering consultation event in Chicago on the same day, bringing together 20 major U.S. manufacturers, including Stellantis, GM and CNH, a manufacturer of heavy equipment and agricultural machinery, for consultations with 61 Korean materials, parts and equipment companies.
In Nagoya, Japan, on the same day, KOTRA also held consultations on cooperation in future vehicles at the headquarters of Aisin, Japan’s largest auto-parts maker, one of the world’s seven largest auto-parts companies and a first-tier Toyota supplier.
Kim Kwan-mook, vice president of KOTRA and head of its Economic Security and Trade Cooperation Office, said, "The trends of manufacturing revival, the AI transformation (AX), supply-chain restructuring and reduced dependence on specific countries in overseas markets are expanding opportunities for Korean materials, parts and equipment companies to enter global supply chains. We will do our utmost to improve their entry into global supply chains by identifying demand for cooperation with global companies through our overseas trade offices and linking it with government programs that support development costs."
 
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