Linking Technology Startups Across Jeju and Gwangju–South Jeolla... JNU-GIST Partnership on Commercialization

【Financial News, Jeju—Reporter Yong-bok Jeong】 An interregional technology startup cooperation network will be established to connect university technologies and startup infrastructure in Jeju Province and Gwangju–South Jeolla Province, supporting prospective entrepreneurs from their discovery through commercialization and investment linkages.
According to JNU on the 20th, JNU’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation signed an agreement on the 17th with GIST’s startup and innovation institute to promote regional technology startups and technology commercialization.
The two universities agreed to share their technologies, professional talent, and startup support infrastructure to link the technology startup ecosystems of Jeju Province and Gwangju–South Jeolla Province and support the commercialization and growth of technology companies.
They will first jointly identify prospective entrepreneurs and promising startups. They also agreed to operate hackathons, mentoring sessions, and investor-relations (IR) events together, while exchanging startup spaces and support infrastructure held by each institution.
They will also promote exchanges and training for specialists in technology commercialization and startup support. The initiative reflects their view that connecting university-developed technologies to actual companies or new ventures requires not only the technologies themselves but also expertise in market analysis, business-model design, investment attraction, and follow-up support.
The two institutions will also share policies, market information, and corporate demand information related to technology startups and commercialization. They plan to broaden their cooperation by connecting university-developed technologies with demand from companies and enabling startups in each region to access technologies, talent, and market information in the other region.
They will also establish a joint network linking local companies in Jeju Province and Gwangju–South Jeolla Province. If local universities’ support for technology startups extends beyond individual universities or administrative boundaries into interregional collaboration, it will broaden the options for connecting companies that need technologies with researchers. For startups, the support base available for investment, market entry, and follow-on growth after commercialization could also expand.
The agreement aims to gradually establish a cooperation structure spanning the discovery of prospective entrepreneurs, technology commercialization, investment linkages, and follow-on growth.
JNU’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation and GIST’s startup and innovation institute plan to develop joint programs, share outstanding technologies and corporate demand information, and support the growth of regional innovation companies.
Kim Ki-young, head of JNU’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, said, "We have laid the groundwork for connecting the startup and technology commercialization resources of Jeju Province and Gwangju–South Jeolla Province. We will expand practical cooperation programs so that outstanding university technologies and technology talent can lead to new ventures and local technology companies can grow."


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