Ewha Womans University Receives Minister of Education Commendation as a '2026 Outstanding University for Startup Education'

[Financial News]  Ewha Womans University received a commendation from the Minister of Education in recognition of its startup-friendly academic system and achievements in building a women-focused startup ecosystem. 
Ewha Womans University said on the 2nd that it had been selected as an outstanding university for startup education in the university startup revitalization category and received a commendation from the Minister of Education at the '2026 Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation EXPO' held on October 30.
Led by the Ewha Startup Support Group, the university has reorganized its startup education system and established startup-friendly academic and personnel policies, along with a support system spanning the process from startup preparation to business growth. Its efforts to create a women-focused startup ecosystem and expand startup networks with overseas universities were highlighted as major achievements in the evaluation.
From 2023 to 2025, Ewha Womans University attracted funding through government, local government and private-sector programs, including the University Innovation Support Program, Leading Universities for Startup Education Innovation (SCOUT), the Seoul Campus Town program and Public Technology-Based Market-Linked Startup Exploration (TEX-Corps). It invested a total startup support budget of 10.5 billion won.
Depending on the stage of each startup, the university operates the Ewha Startup Open Space, Ewha Startup Erum Center and Business Incubation Center, currently supporting the occupancy of 67 companies. It has introduced startup leaves of absence, a startup alternative credit system and startup scholarships so students can continue their studies while pursuing business ventures. Startup achievements and startup mentorship records are also reflected in faculty performance evaluations.
In particular, the amount of investment raised by faculty-founded companies rose from approximately 9 billion won in 2020 to approximately 36 billion won in 2024. Over the past four years, 21 companies have been selected for TIPS, a government technology startup support program.
Uniuni, a student-founded company, received the CES Innovation Awards in both 2025 and 2026. Syupab, a faculty-founded company, also received a 2025 CES Innovation Award.
Sang-Joon Kim, head of the Ewha Startup Support Group and director of the Entrepreneurship Center, said, "This award is the result of our sustained efforts to build startup-friendly infrastructure and expand a women-focused startup ecosystem. We will continue to actively nurture women entrepreneurs and researchers who will lead future industries while further strengthening the global startup ecosystem."
[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter