From Shoes for Dementia Patients to the World's No. 1 Robot... '2026 Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation EXPO' Opens on the 30th

[Financial News]  University-developed shoes for the safe management of dementia patients, splints designed to speed up first aid, virtual reality (VR) shooting simulators, and other industry-academia-research cooperation achievements will be showcased in one place. The Ministry of Education said on the 29th that the '2026 Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation EXPO,' attended by 362 institutions, including universities, companies, and local governments, will be held at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Ilsan from the 30th through October 2.
The event will showcase major achievements in industry-academia-research cooperation, including technology transfers, commercialization, and the cultivation of talent who will settle in the region, across five exhibition halls.
A number of notable technological achievements will also be displayed. Pusan National University's (PNU) smart shoes use shoe sensors to collect pressure distribution data in real time, allowing caregivers to detect signs of danger such as falls, abnormal gait, and leaving a designated safe zone.
Pukyong National University's (PKNU) pneumatic splint, selected for the Student Promising Startup Teams 300+ Program, improves on conventional emergency splints made mainly of cardboard and bandages by offering an affordable, tube-shaped product equipped with pressure stabilization technology. According to the Ministry of Education, the quality of first aid improved from 80% to 100%, while the response time was reduced from three minutes to 10 seconds.
The shooting simulator presented by Kyungmin University improves the safety, cost efficiency, and space constraints associated with live-fire shooting training.
The newly established 'University-Company Pavilion' will introduce examples of university-company cooperation that extend from field-based education to technology transfers and commercialization. Incheon National University will present its industry-academia cooperation programs developed with El Line, Yuilrobotics, and Hyundai NGV. It will also showcase a robot model that won first place worldwide in the industrial automation category at RoboCup 2026 Incheon.
A range of side events will also promote communication and participation among young people, companies, and local communities. These include 'Anchor Route+,' in which corporate representatives select outstanding students through open interviews; the 'AI-Powered Regional Problem-Solving Competition,' where students seek solutions to local issues using artificial intelligence (AI); and the '2026 Second Industry-University Education Innovation Forum' on the semiconductor and display industries.
Choi Kyo-jin, Minister of Education, said, "This event will be a meaningful opportunity to see firsthand how industry-academia-research cooperation, beyond simply sharing achievements, can become a key engine that revitalizes regions and drives future growth," and added, "We will spare no policy support in building a virtuous cycle in which young talent, companies, and local communities grow together."
Elementary, middle, and high school students can participate in career exploration programs tailored to their school levels, including spatial information analysis using drones, oral health examinations with advanced equipment, and AI-based caricature creation.
The event, now in its 19th year, is co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and Gyeonggi Province and organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). It will be held in Hall 10 of KINTEX Exhibition Center 2, with the opening ceremony scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on the 30th.
[email protected] Kim Man-ki Reporter