Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), which discovers and supports excellent research technologies developed at the university through laboratory startup support, will select prospective laboratory startup teams with outstanding technologies this year under the Laboratory-Specialized Startup-Leading University Project and commence full-scale support.

The Startup Support Center evaluated 11 laboratories that applied to this year's project and initially selected eight laboratories. On the 12th, it held a project orientation and signing ceremony for these laboratory startup teams. The Startup Support Center plans to select approximately four additional laboratories in a second round to be held between April and May.

Through this project, JBNU will provide up to KRW 60 million in R&D funding to around 12 laboratories. It will operate various programs to develop laboratories' outstanding technologies into startups, including in-house programs to strengthen entrepreneurial capabilities and support for corporate establishment costs.

JBNU is the only regional university operating the Laboratory-Specialized Startup-Leading University Project for five consecutive years, and it boasts notable achievements, including receiving the highest A grade in the project's 2021 annual evaluation.

Notably, this year JBNU was the only university in the Honam region designated as a "Startup-Centered University," securing KRW 40 billion in funding over five years. This is expected to promote the stable development of faculty and researcher entrepreneurs on campus and to provide higher-quality services to pre-startup, early-stage, and scaling startup companies.

Kwon Dae-gyu, Director of the Startup Support Center, said, "The Laboratory-Specialized Startup-Leading University Project is not simply a program for laboratories; it is an excellent opportunity for young people at the university to present their creative ideas to the world under the name of startups. The JBNU Startup Support Center will do its utmost to alleviate the difficulties faced in the early stages of startup development and to lead them to stable and successful ventures through tailored support for each laboratory."

Meanwhile, the Laboratory-Specialized Startup-Leading University Project is a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and ICT that supports all aspects of startup creation — from business model development to R&D funding and company establishment — based on the excellent technologies held by university laboratories. Additional laboratories will be recruited through a second call beginning at the end of April.