"This is what 'superiority' looks like"… Four major science and technology institutes unveil "Deep Tech 8" at COEX

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A technology commercialization exchange event where one can encounter deep tech (advanced technologies) with high commercialization potential among those held by the four major science and technology institutes, including Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), will be held in Seoul next month.

MoneyToday's startup-specialized media platform "Unicorn Factory" will host the "2026 K-Premiere DeepTech Festa" at 1 p.m. on the 29th of next month at the Plus Stage in Hall B of COEX in Samsung-dong, Seoul. The event is co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, KAIST, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), with support from Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) and the Korea Technology Commercialization Promotion Agency.

This year's event will be held in conjunction with "SMART ENERGY PLUS (SEP) 2026." SEP is an energy-specialized event hosted by the National Assembly Hydrogen Economy Forum and co-organized by MoneyToday and COEX.

This event is an expanded and restructured version of the "Tech Market" first held in 2024. Under the slogan "Deep Tech met casually, technology commercialization completed with a broader demand enterprise network," it lowers the barrier to entry for participating companies while further strengthening its function of matching with demand enterprises. Last year's event was attended by 350 people (318 pre-registrations and 32 individual consultation applications), with approximately 76 institutional investors participating, resulting in around 23 business consultations.

This year, a total of eight advanced technologies, two from each science and technology institute, will take the stage. First, at KAIST, Professor Kim Sang-hyun of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will introduce "3D Vertical Power Delivery (VPD) Technology Based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) for AI Semiconductors," while Professor Kim Shin-hyun of the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering will present "Micro Dome Array and Manufacturing Technology Capable of Generating Multicolor Retroreflective Graphics."

UNIST will showcase "Nickel and Cobalt Separation and Recovery Technology from Waste Batteries" by Kim Gyu-yong, Director of the Earth Environment and Urban Construction Seol Gong-hak-gwa (Prof.), and "Non-volatile RF (Radio Frequency) Switch Technology" by Professor Kim Myung-soo of the Department of Electrical Engineering. The waste battery technology is highly valued in terms of ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) and the circular economy, while the RF switch is assessed as having high utility in national strategic industries such as 6G, satellite communication, radar, and defense.

At DGIST, Assistant Professor Kim Ki-seop of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering will present "LLM (Large Language Model)-Based Software Development, Analysis, and Security Automation Technology," while Assistant Professor Kim Un-hyuk of the Department of Energy Engineering will introduce "High-Performance Secondary Battery Cathode Material and Next-Generation Battery Material and Electrode Technology." GIST will offer "High-Quality Two-Dimensional Semiconductor Thin Film Synthesis Technology" by Professor Im Hyun-seop of the Department of Chemistry, and "Low Dielectric Glass Material Technology for Semiconductor Glass Substrates" by Senior Researcher Kim Bok-hyun of the GIST Advanced Light Technology Institute.

Presentations will be conducted with 20 minutes per technology, including Q&A sessions, during which researchers will directly explain the development intent, core functions, differentiation from existing technologies, and applicable business fields.

The event will open with an opening address by Kang Ho-byung, CEO of MoneyToday, and a congratulatory speech by Lee Sik, Director of KISTI. Following this, a roundtable titled "Public R&D Commercialization: Asking the Field for Answers," linked with the "KISTI Science and Technology Commercialization Forum," will be held. The roundtable will examine challenges from a field perspective to ensure public research outcomes are established in the market, and introduce government technology transfer and commercialization support programs available to companies.

An award system is also being introduced for the first time this year. A review panel consisting of KISTI, the Korea Technology Commercialization Promotion Agency, and TLOs (Technology Licensing Offices) from universities and government-funded research institutes will comprehensively evaluate market matching results, technology readiness level, commercialization potential, and impact effects. The President's Award from the Korea Technology Commercialization Promotion Agency will be presented to two technologies with high contribution to technology transfer and commercialization, while the KISTI Director's Award will be given to two technologies showing high expectations for demand enterprise matching based on KISTI's analysis engine results. The MoneyToday CEO Award (for four cases) will also be presented concurrently.

Technology analysis using KISTI's AI (Artificial Intelligence)-based science and technology industrialization platforms "Apollo" and "Smart K2C" will also continue. The plan is to increase the accuracy of matching with companies by analyzing each technology's market size, competitor trends, and potential demand enterprises.

Demand enterprise matching data collected at the event will be provided to the Korea Technology Commercialization Promotion Agency and the TLOs (Technology Licensing Offices) of each science and technology institute to support subsequent commercialization. This year, in cooperation with the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), the scope of participation will be expanded to include family companies of government-funded research institutes. A joint booth for the four major science and technology institutes will be set up next to the main stage, providing information on technology transfer and commercialization support programs as well as individual consultations with researchers.

Director Kang Ho-byeong (CEO) stated, "We will create a model academic-industry collaboration utilizing the tangible and intangible resources of the science and technology institutes, and enhance the external credibility of the presented technologies to lead to substantive technology transfer results."

[MoneyToday startup media platform Unicorn Factory]