UNIST has been selected to lead a national initiative aimed at transforming university research into market-ready deep-tech startups across the southeastern region of Korea.
The university will serve as a ‘Laboratory Startup Innovation Group‘ under the 2026 Public Technology-Based Market-Linked Startup Exploration Program (TeX-Corps). Through the program, UNIST will receive KRW 7.6 billion in government funding over the next five years to identify and nurture market-validated startup teams addressing industrial demands in the southeastern region of Korea.
The initiative will focus on supporting innovation exploration teams built around outstanding public technologies developed at universities across the Southeast region. These teams will connect their technologies with key regional industries—including manufacturing, energy, shipbuilding, and aerospace—to accelerate the creation of deep-tech startups.
A key key feature of the program is its emphasis on real market demand and validation. By fostering young technology startup teams equipped with both market verification experience and commercialization capabilities, the program aims to reduce startup failure risks through a structured market validation process.
UNIST previously implemented the same program for five years beginning in 2021, selecting 132 exploration teams and strengthening their commercialization capabilities. The new designation is expected to further expand startup outcomes across the southeastern region of Korea.
Selected exploration teams will receive a range of startup support programs, including △ Market exploration training, △ Customer interviews and minimum viable product (MVP) development, △ Mentoring, investment linkage, and regional industry collaboration, and △ Pivoting programs based on technology demand.
Through this initiative, UNIST also plans to explore ways to systematize the startup ecosystem across the southeastern region of Korea. SukWon Choi, Team Leader of UNIST Startup Support Team, stated, “Currently, the startup support ecosystem in Southeast Korea is fragmented, which reduces the efficiency of support for startups. Through this program, we will work closely with universities and startup support organizations across the region to build a more systematic and collaborative startup ecosystem.”
Director Byoung Ki Seo of the U Future Strategy Institute, who serves as Head of the innovation group, emphasized the broader economic significance of the initiative. “The selection of this TeX-Corp project represents a strategic turning point that can drive structural transformation in the regional economy,” he said.
UNIST President Chong Rae Park added, “This program aligns closely with the core pillars of the southeastern Korea’s AX-based manufacturing innovation strategy, including securing breakthrough core technologies, nurturing advanced S&T talents, establishing open research platforms, and activating a deep-tech startup ecosystem. By creating a virtuous cycle linking research, industry, and entrepreneurship, we aim to contribute to the advancement of regional industrial structures and the creation of new growth engines.”
The TeX-Corp program, overseen by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and operated by the Commercializations Promotion Agency for R&D Outcomes (COMPA), is designed to support laboratory-based startups throughout the entire commercialization process. The initiative aims to accelerate the transition of research outcomes from universities and government-funded research institutes into technologies and companies that can succeed in the marketplace.
