Korean Universities have played an important role in developing a robust start-up ecosystem. They nurture the entrepreneurial spirit and encourage students to create innovative companies. Most universities in Korea have programs to grow startups and incubate talent. Universities also lie at the core of academia-industry collaboration to ensure their students remain connected with the market needs and real-world challenges.  

The Korean government's education policy has been instrumental in creating an environment that supports universities in nurturing talent to fuel the nation's robust startup ecosystem. The government invests significantly in R&D, encouraging universities to focus on innovative research that can be commercialized and providing support for the management of intellectual property. Universities are incentivized to partner with industries to align their research initiatives with market needs, fostering a practical approach to innovation. A complete framework of grants and funds is in place to reduce the financial burden of innovation and commercialization.   

A 4-day study tour, which included a workshop, group discussions, and a study tour to universities and related institutes to showcase the various aspects of the mechanisms in place to support the Korean startup ecosystem.  Universities are keen to provide international exposure and talent development for their students. During the event, opportunities to increase collaboration among the CAREC countries and the participants can explore the possibility of creating a structured regional framework to facilitate academic projects and activities among the universities, like student exchange programs, staff exchange programs, collaborative research, forging brand alliances to offer dual degrees, exchanging educational content and tapping each other’s resources to improve student success in their institutions.  

Program Structure:  

The workshop and showcase provided participants with an opportunity to share experience on a wide range of topics that were relevant in the context of University-based Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development. This covers a wide range of discussion topics, most of which were covered by the Korean speakers and practice showcases. Discussion topics include:  

• organizational design, rules and procedures, faculty incentives  

• curriculum design (innovation and entrepreneurship)  

• programming (from under-grad to post-doc, short/modular courses, open innovation challenges, networking events)  

• research, intellectual property management and commercialization / technology transfer  

• industry-university collaboration (sponsored & collaborative research, pilots, executive  

• education, upskilling, skill demand mapping, internships, industry/ecosystem liaison)  

• staffing (profiles, roles), capabilities, incentives, career paths  

• infrastructure and equipment (incl. central IT, specialized IT, labs, fabrication, pilot plants, etc.)  

• enabling environment (incl. regulatory framework and policy, S&T strategies, Industry Transformation Maps, etc.)  

• external partners, relevant associations & networks, champions, collaborators and service providers  

• external and internal funding sources, revenue sources (incl. licensing royalties, equity income from spin-off’s)  

• institutional leadership, vision, strategy, plans, roadmaps  
   

Day 1: International Practice Sharing & Moderated Group Discussion  

Country delegations will make a joint presentation on their current activities, lessons learnt (what has and has not worked), strategies and plans for university-based startup ecosystem development. Each country delegation will be given 20 minutes for their presentation, followed by a Q&A session during which participants will be able to seek clarifications and share their insights. Government delegates (from Ministries and Departments) will be encouraged to put together 3 slides to share about their role and Startup Ecosystem support each, the remainder of the presentation should be covered by the university delegates, sharing their university-based experience.