Unified Kangwon National University Leaps as an ‘Industry-Academia Cooperation Hub’… Building a Regional Innovation Startup Ecosystem Based on Bio, Semiconductor, and Hydrogen

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Based on the Glocal University 30 and ‘One Gangwon State, One National University’ System… Presenting the ‘Gangwon Model’ through 4-Campus Specialization and Startup Achievements

As its official unified launch approaches, Kangwon National University (KNU) is leaping forward as an ‘Industry-Academia Cooperation Hub’ by transforming its entire campus network into a platform for regional startups and industry collaboration. Based on its selection for the Glocal University 30 project and the ‘One Gangwon State, One National University’ framework, the university has launched a full-scale strategy to foster regional ‘Unicorn’ companies by building a wide-area innovation ecosystem that encompasses education, research, startups, and industry-academia cooperation.

Existing infrastructure—including the KNU Startup & Innovation Institute, the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, the Campus Innovative Park, and the Gangwon Chuncheon Gangso (Inno-Town) Research and Development Special Zone—form the central axis of this movement. A virtuous cycle of entrepreneurship, stretching from initial idea discovery to Technology Commercialization, is rapidly taking root.

‘Startup Minerva School’ and Practical Entrepreneurship Education

KNU is strengthening practical startup education by operating the ‘Startup Minerva School,’ which reflects the industrial characteristics of its four campuses in Chuncheon, Samcheok, Gangneung, and Wonju. Students experience the entire process of identifying local issues on-site and materializing them into business items, effectively narrowing the gap between education and entrepreneurship.

To date, 9,401 students have participated in 286 startup-related courses, while 2,495 students have joined extracurricular programs such as startup clubs and competitions. Additionally, through the ‘Idea Lab’—a problem-solving industry-academic cooperation model—the university has successfully resolved technical difficulties for 10 regional companies.

Local-RISE Strategy: 4 Campuses as Specialized Bases

By promoting the Local-RISE strategy, KNU is fostering each campus as a specialized hub linked to regional strategic industries:

• Chuncheon Campus: An education and research hub focused on Precision Medicine, Bio-health, and Data industries.
• Samcheok Campus: A ‘Regional-Industry-Academic Collaboration Base’ based on Liquefied Hydrogen and Disaster Prevention technologies.
• Gangneung Campus: A center for local-academic-research cooperation in the Yeongdong region, focusing on New Materials and Marine Bio.
• Wonju Campus: An industry-academic hub for Semiconductors, Digital Healthcare, and Future Mobility.

The university plans to build a strategic industrial cluster across the entire Gangwon region by forming networks between these four campuses and local industries, governments, and research institutes.

Proving Competitiveness through Student and Faculty Startups

With the reinforcement of startup support, KNU has produced 35 student startups and 17 faculty startups. In 2024 alone, 20 student startups were established, signaling a significant rise in entrepreneurial enthusiasm. These companies have proven their competitiveness by securing 14 government support projects and winning 46 external awards.

Representative success stories include:

• AprilBio: A biotech company founded by a faculty member from the College of Medicine, now listed on the KOSDAQ.
• Gamja Island: A startup founded by alumni that grew by branding local specialty potatoes.

Both companies grew through the university’s technical expertise, incubation systems, and the infrastructure support of the Campus Innovative Park, serving as prime examples of regional economic revitalization.

Future Plans: Expanding the Global and Policy Network

Starting next year, KNU plans to further broaden its foundation for industry-academia cooperation by:

• Expanding the operation of Startup Minerva Practicum.
• Promoting Global Joint Startup Programs and overseas training for students.
• Increasing policy research in collaboration with local governments.
• Strengthening Industry-linked R&D projects.
• Advancing the KNU Start-up Process (support system).

Choi Yong-seok, Director of the KNU Startup & Innovation Institute, stated, “Universities must go beyond education and research to become innovation leaders that create economic value alongside regional industries.” He added that KNU aims to complete an ecosystem that continuously produces ‘pre-unicorn’ companies by leveraging the wide-area network of the unified university.

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