Where the Technology Cluster is Going
Where the Technology Cluster is Going
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  • 승인 2006.12.01 12:01
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In-depth Report / Daedeok Innopolis

Reforming Daedeok Innopolis is a mountain of tasks

Daedeok Innopolis is a two part series. This first part talks about Innopolis' policy direction and the cutting-edge technology companies in the sector. In our next issue, January 2007, the second part will include interviews with the Mayor regarding Innopolis' development model and local economy activation plans. It will also include articles on five notable research institutes working on a corporate laboratory formation project. -- Ed.

Where is now Daedeok Innopolis going and is it really the right direction

A considerable number of persons at Daedeok Innopolis are expressing their worry, saying that they don't know what the vision of Daedeok Innopolis actually is, or that they are anxious about what Daedeok Innopolis is doing. They cite concerns of indifferent constituent persuasion, inadequate government control structure improvements, and the absence of Daedeok Innopolis' leadership.

Although Daedeok Innopolis has had easy sailing for one and a half years beginning with President Roh Moo-hyun's splendid opening speech in March of last year, the mountain of Daedeok Innopolis reform looks very tall to many. Simply speaking, Daedeok Innopolis is not showing enough improvement, according to experts.

Daedeok's active participation urgently needed

Experts explain that there are two direct reasons. The first is that the leadership of Daedeok Innopolis is largely absent, and the other is inadequate communication about the progress of the project as a whole. It is being said that the leadership of daedeok Innopolis are not especially interested in the project because they go their own way and do not communicate with its constituents as they should.

In such a situation, a seminar regarding the outcome of Daedeok Innopolis' R&D commercialization ventures was held on November 17th to seek new features of the complex.

Participants agreed that a corporate laboratory would be a good alternative for Daedeok Innopolis. It would be a good break with the inefficiency of public research commercialization ventures and the imperfection of the current venture ecosystem.

Since 30.5% of government R&D investment is being concentrated in Daedeok along with 10% of the country's doctorate degree holders, it is not surprising that Daedeok Innopolis has chosen to become a Science Technology Frontier Zone. This means that corporate laboratories and cutting-edge technology companies are expected to play a new role in the future, participants say.

The Director General Ryu Joon-ick of the Innopolis Planning Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) agrees that Daedeok Innopolis must seek a new breakthrough with a corporate laboratory. He adds that Daedeok Innopolis must increase revenue by linking corporate R&D with a creative and challenging entrepreneur spirit.

Corporate laboratories as breakthroughs

It has been true that many persons have been worrying about the future of Daedeok Innopolis because the Innopolis seems to be adrift without any tangible results right now.

However, the region enjoys the efforts of many different organizations who try to forge the region into a business hub and attract foreign investment. These organizations include the MOST Innopolis Planning Office, Daejeon Metropolitan City's efforts, and Daedeok Innopolis itself. Therefore, the future of the city is positive.

The city has been engaged in research outcome commercialization facilitation, venture ecosystem formation, global environment construction, and connection with other regions. Additionally, Daedeok has been working to boost its commercialization capacity and form a good business environment since its establishment in September of last year.

It is said that the Innopolis' launching projects reach to several tens of projects, according to officials responsible for projects, though it is too early to mention concrete outcomes. An official in charge of project launching at Daedeok Innopolis said: 'In order to dig out Daedeok's research outcomes, the Innopolis is concentrating its efforts on support projects so that government-funded laboratories can establish laboratory corporations.'

Daedeok Innopolis moreover constructed a corporate growth support system in order to allow to settle inauguration of an enterprise as well as management support system by means of a Daedeok High-up Program operation, an analysis diagnosis system by stages for corporate growth across corporate management at large.

In particular, it is reported that a Daedeok Innopolis fund of 100 billion won (US$105.3 million) has been formed during the course of the first half of this year.

Daedeok has the goal to become one of the top ten global innovation clusters. Along that goal it has started an active exchange collaboration program with firstrate clusters overseas including Frances Sophia-Antipolis and Germany's Heidelberg. It also held an international conference in April of this year, the 2006 ICIC, and invited world research clusters to attend.

Associated officials at Daedeok Innopolis said that KOSDAQ listed companies are also gradually increasing in the city while new businesses and researchers preparing for new enterprises are on the rise. More and more corporations are making their mark on Daedeok Innopolis as a total of 665 companies resided there at the end of 2005. Chairman Park In-chul stressed: 'Now based on accumulated infrastructure so far, the Innopolis will do its best to forge a business hub Innopolis,' adding that this year is the first year of Daedeok Innopolis development.

He said he concedes that because there have not been concrete projects to date in Daedeok Innopolis, several worries appeared, but Daedeok constituents' active participation is urgent.

Innopolis' hub business vision

Director general Ryu Joong-ick, Innopolis Planning Office, MOST, also expressed his strong confidence in Daedeok Innopolis success, saying that Daedeok is still a little frog in a big pool, but Daedeok is a venue to guarantee success.

He, among others, said: 'In order to make technology which was accumulated in Daedeok over the past 30 years, as technology which can be sold in market, MOST will devote the most preferential efforts on forging an R&D market system.'

To make Daedeok Innopolis' outcomes which can be said with firm confidence, 4 to 5 years will be necessary, he said. He also maintained that MOST will forge Daedeok as a space in which technology, mankind and environment are harmonized together to make Daedeok into a representative national science technology brand.

For this end, the director general points out that institutions and corporations which made inroads into Daedeok, the real masters of this Innopolis, should play their role as they please, adding that the masters must proactively participate in Daedeok Innopolis projects with a master consciousness since MOST, Daedeok Innopolis and Daejeon Metropolitan City are merely support institutions.

As 10% of science engineering doctors work in Daedeok, it is time to have to keep an eye on Daedeok now, he said. The director general notes that Innopolis Planning Office's role is to make system to forge R&D market so that hitherto R&D may become a pre-circulation structure.

As regarding a way to be able to develop as a world-class innovation cluster, he epitomized that a National Technology Innovation System and Regional Innovation System must be harmonized and further technology, mankind and environment need to be harmonized so that Daedeok can be made as a Science Technology Representative Brand in Korea.


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