Dong-A University and Dongseo University to Establish 'Busan Tech Bridge Alliance Technology Holdings'... "Building a University Technology Commercialization Ecosystem"

[Financial News] Dong-A University and Dongseo University have officially begun establishing Busan Tech Bridge Alliance Technology Holdings, a joint entity that will bring together the universities' research achievements and commercialization capabilities to take the lead in technology commercialization.
The two universities said on the 6th that they had recently held an MOU-signing ceremony for the establishment of Busan Tech Bridge Alliance Technology Holdings in the conference room at Dong-A University's Seunghak Campus.
The agreement was pursued to overcome the limitations of standalone technology commercialization centered on individual universities and to achieve economies of scale through the establishment of the alliance technology holding company. Its core objective is to build an open technology commercialization ecosystem model for the southeastern region by launching an end-to-end system covering the discovery, investment and development of faculty and student startups.
The two universities will merge their existing technology holding companies and reorganize them as Busan Tech Bridge Alliance Technology Holdings.
The name of the integrated entity reflects a vision of becoming a hub for an open technology commercialization ecosystem in the southeastern region, extending beyond the combination of the two universities to include partnerships with regional innovation institutions and other universities. The plan is to combine Dong-A University's research strengths in hydrogen energy, power semiconductors and human care technologies with Dongseo University's expertise in digital twins, next-generation video and cultural content, and convergence design to address the complex technological demands of industry.
To this end, the two universities plan to operate dedicated organizations, including technology startup and commercialization support teams, within the technology holding company. They will establish a virtuous-cycle industry-academia cooperation ecosystem by promoting the technology transfer and licensing of promising intellectual property (IP), supporting faculty and student technology startups based on demonstrations, identifying and scaling up investments in subsidiaries, and reinvesting proceeds in follow-up research and development (R&D).
Lee Hae-woo, president of Dong-A University, said, "Busan Tech Bridge Alliance Technology Holdings is an important turning point that will go beyond the limitations of individual universities, bring together the research resources and capabilities of the two universities, and connect outstanding research achievements with the market and industrial fields. By successfully establishing the alliance technology holding company, we will actively foster innovative technology companies that can lead the local economy and create jobs for young people. At the same time, we will build a virtuous-cycle industry-academia cooperation ecosystem in which the results are reinvested in follow-up R&D and technology startups."
Jekuk Chang, president of Dongseo University, stated, "The alliance technology holding company will create synergies in solving the convergence problems demanded by industry by combining manufacturing and hardware research capabilities with applied technologies in software and content. We will spare no support to ensure that the cooperation between the two universities becomes a leading successful model of mutually beneficial industry-academia-research collaboration, in which regional industry and universities grow together."
Busan Metropolitan City Government also plans to provide full support, led by its Economic Policy Office, so that the universities' outstanding research capabilities can be connected with regional industry.
Following the agreement, Dong-A University and Dongseo University plan to submit a revised operation plan to the Korea Association of Technology Holdings Companies (KATH) this month. After undergoing review by an advisory committee and applying for approval from the Ministry of Education, they aim to officially launch Busan Tech Bridge Alliance Technology Holdings in February next year.
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter