Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), jointly implementing the "SENA (National Training Service) Bogotá, Colombia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Capacity-Building Project — Volunteer Team Project" with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), announced on the 6th that it has officially launched the project after recently holding the project’s inaugural ceremony and a startup idea competition locally.

On February 25, at the main auditorium in Bogotá, the event was attended by Lee Jeong-wook, Director of KOICA’s Colombia Office; Gerardo Medina, Director of SENA Bogotá; Lee Ha-hyung, Second Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Colombia; representatives from Bogotá City Hall, the Colombian International Cooperation Agency (APC), and the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce; as well as faculty, staff and trainees, totaling approximately 150 participants, confirming strong cooperative commitment between the two countries.

Running through 2028, the project will dispatch a total of 84 Korean experts and volunteers to Colombia across six missions. They will implement multifaceted practical support, including establishing one startup space within SENA, developing a locally tailored entrepreneurship curriculum, strengthening the capacities of 90 trainees and about 20 entrepreneurship instructors, and promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The startup idea competition held alongside the project launch drew strong interest from local youth. A total of 155 teams applied and competed fiercely. After strict document screening and final presentations, six teams were ultimately selected.

The selected ideas comprise models combining social value and innovation: △ mushroom-based plant-based alternative meat (HONGOS+) △ augmented reality (AR) tourism mobile app (ExplorAR Bogotá) △ eco-friendly recycled pencil (Ecopencil) △ operational solution for a school for the hearing impaired (Byfrost) △ animal adoption platform (ADOPTAFÁCIL) △ redesigned jewelry using reclaimed gemstones (Déirene).

The six selected teams will participate in a four-month entrepreneurship education program developed directly by Korean experts. They will also refine their business models through customized, hands-on consulting provided by Korean volunteers and experts from both countries. The team judged most outstanding will receive approximately USD 8,000 in seed funding for initial commercialization.

Professor Moon Kyung-yeon of the School of International Studies, who oversees the project, stated, "Through this project, we will strive to systematically cultivate the innovative entrepreneurial capabilities of young people in the Bogotá area. We will further expand Korea–Colombia cooperation so that a sustainable startup ecosystem can take firm root locally."