Samsung C&T and SKT Seek Startups to Partner With Through Collaboration…Changchung Center Launches Large

Samsung C&T, SK Telecom and other nine major conglomerates will jointly scout startups with the Creative Economy Innovation Centers. The program offers sweeping benefits such as PoC support funds and links to TIPS, with applications accepted through Aug. 7.

[Key Summary] The nationwide Creative Economy Innovation Centers will team up with major and mid-sized corporate partners in South Korea to find promising startups that hold innovative technologies. Under the “2026 Joint Open Innovation (Open Innovation) Program,” nine companies including Samsung C&T and SK Telecom and Doosan Enerbility will be matched with nine regional center locations nationwide as they look for collaborative partners. The selected startups will receive bold follow-on support such as technology validation (PoC), investment review and a link to TIPS.

A new stage opens for South Korea’s largest joint open innovation event—one that connects major companies’ solid infrastructure with startups’ innovative technology. The nationwide Creative Economy Innovation Centers said Thursday that they will hold the “2026 Joint Open Innovation Program” to identify startups that will continue business cooperation with major and mid-sized enterprises, and will recruit participating companies through Aug. 7.

The program is designed to establish a virtuous cycle in the domestic open innovation ecosystem through close business collaboration between major and mid-sized firms and startups. A total of nine major and mid-sized companies will each pair 1-to-1 with regional hub Creative Economy Innovation Centers to find the startups they will work with. The matching partners include Dozon Bizon (Gangwon), Doosan Enerbility (Gyeongnam), SK Telecom (Daejeon/Sejong), LS Electric and Samsung C&T (Seoul), Hoban Group (Incheon), HD Hyundai Samho (South Jeolla), HS Hyosung (North Jeolla), and Kontect (Jeju).

Each company’s recruitment fields were broken down in detail by actively reflecting its own future new business strategies.

B2B tech platform, AI, big data, smart factory, fintech, Web3/metaverse

Gas turbines, offshore wind power, hydrogen and eco-friendly energy, nuclear power and SMR, AI and big data, cybersecurity and networks

AI core technology, SW, infrastructure and services, AI-linked and AI-use fields (big data, cloud, security, mobility, healthcare, media)

Energy + AI/big data, data center solutions, ESS, climate response/new renewable energy, generative AI, manufacturing AI

Wellness, senior living, home platform, robots, edu solutions

Smart city (AI/robotics, digital twins), smart manufacturing, lodging/leisure/retail, new business

Shipbuilding-focused AI/big data, eco-friendly/energy, robots (AGV, drones, autonomous driving), safety

Carbon materials, advanced materials, IT/services, fintech/mobile, materials-for-parts and component technologies, deep tech and energy investment

Satellite image processing (image matching, GPU high-speed processing, deep-learning reading and AI automatic reading)

For the startups finally selected, they will receive a full-scale dual support benefit from both major/mid-sized firms and the Creative Economy Innovation Centers.

Major and mid-sized company benefits will include business meetups with relevant teams in the companies’ day-to-day operations. Each company’s customized benefits are also extensive. SK Telecom will support priority participation in its own acceleration program and attendance at the global exhibition MWC, and Samsung C&T promised participation in its official open innovation platform and review of direct and indirect investment. LS Electric will propose business linkage in 2027 after the PoC, and HD Hyundai Samho will propose testbed support and procurement linkage. Dozon Bizon will recommend TIPS (TIPS) once investment is confirmed, HS Hyosung will support moving into a carbon-focused startup incubator, and Kontect will provide priority recommendations for pitching at an international space conference.

Center follow-on support is also geared toward tangible growth. The South Jeolla center will provide up to 20 million won in PoC funds, and the Gangwon center up to 10 million won, along with Naver Cloud credits. The Seoul center will provide business commercialization support prize money, an opportunity to move into the incubating center in Gwanghwamun, and review of investment from an open innovation fund. Other centers—including Daejeon/Sejong, Incheon, North Jeolla and Gyeongnam—also plan to actively link startups to TIPS recommendations, direct investment reviews, provision of move-in space, and programs for global expansion.

Recruiting innovative startups: July 13, 2026 through Aug. 7

Reviewing collaboration proposals: In August (each center and partner company reviews first, then announces which companies will be invited to the meetup)

Business meetup: Sept. 30, SVC Seoul (Startup Venture Campus Seoul)

Follow-on collaboration: selecting business collaboration targets, and proceeding with technology validation (PoC) and development of collaboration models

Startups hoping to participate in the program can apply online through the official website (scceioi.kr). The implementation schedule may change in part depending on the host organization’s circumstances, and detailed inquiries by each matching partner can be confirmed through the 담당자 at each regional Creative Economy Innovation Center.

Meanwhile, through the same program in the past, SK Telecom and Yatab Entertainment jointly won the MWC25 GLOMO “Best Mobile Innovation Award,” and HD Hyundai Samho and Mobileate have continued to generate visible cooperation outcomes, including successfully demonstrating a shipyard-specific autonomous-driving logistics robot.