KAIST Sweeps Top Honors at South Korea’s Four Major Science and Technology Universities Startup Competition; DGIST Claims Most Awards — BigGo Finance

KAIST Sweeps Top Honors at South Korea’s Four Major Science and Technology Universities Startup Competition; DGIST Claims Most Awards
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KAIST swept both the undergraduate and graduate league grand prizes at “GRAVITY 2026,” a student startup competition jointly hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the nation’s four major science and technology universities, demonstrating its qualitative edge. DGIST produced five of the ten winning teams—the highest tally—showcasing rapid growth. A total of 310 teams entered the preliminary round, with 20 advancing to the finals. This year’s support expanded significantly to 35 teams per institution, totaling 140 teams, with the top 10 teams receiving up to 200 million won (approximately $150,000) in prize money plus follow-up support including global acceleration programs. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to expand its startup support framework by linking research commercialization with student <a href="https://jiuniversity.com/university-of-waterloo-waterloo-ranked-the-top-canadian-university-for-producing-entrepreneurs/” title=”University of Waterloo – Waterloo ranked the top Canadian university for producing entrepreneurs”>entrepreneurship.

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South Korea’s four major science and technology universities jointly hosted a student startup competition in which KAIST claimed both grand prizes, reaffirming its qualitative edge, while DGIST produced half of all winning teams, underscoring its quantitative growth

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 4th that it held the final round of “GRAVITY 2026” at KAIST on the 3rd. Launched for the first time this year, the competition is a student entrepreneurship program jointly operated by the four science and technology universities—KAIST, GIST, DGIST, and UNIST—designed to identify prospective startup teams and support their education and commercialization efforts.

A total of 310 teams entered the preliminary round, and after three rounds of evaluation, 20 teams advanced to the finals: 10 in the undergraduate league and 10 in the graduate league. By institution, KAIST and DGIST each sent seven teams to the finals, posting standout performances, while GIST and UNIST each had three teams

In the finals, participants presented their technology differentiation, market entry strategies, and commercialization plans through IR pitching, with startup and investment experts from Kakao Ventures and Bluepoint Partners participating in the evaluation

KAIST produced grand prize winners in both the undergraduate and graduate leagues. In the undergraduate league, “PatchOne,” which showcased an artificial intelligence (AI) service that diagnoses and responds to application security vulnerabilities, took first place. In the graduate league, “RebuilderAI,” which automatically generates 3D CAD using AI agents, claimed the top spot

KAIST’s performance is seen as further proof of its standing as the university with the strongest startup track record in South Korea. As of 2024, KAIST-affiliated startups numbered 1,972, with many widely recognized startups such as Rainbow Robotics and Lunit tracing their roots to KAIST. The total assets of these startups are estimated at approximately 105 trillion won (approximately $77.5 billion), with employment exceeding 60,000 people.

DGIST, meanwhile, stood out in the number of winning teams. Five teams—four in the undergraduate league and one in the graduate league—took home awards, accounting for half of the ten winning teams overall. Notably, in the undergraduate league, DGIST swept all remaining award positions except for the grand prize, which went to KAIST

The top excellence awards in both leagues also went to DGIST. “MarkWorks,” which provides legal-tech services specializing in intellectual property, won the undergraduate league’s top excellence award, while “QD,” which developed a real-time material screening sensor, received the graduate league’s top excellence award

DGIST’s surge is attributed to its recent focus on entrepreneurship education and ecosystem development. In July, the university recruited Kwon Oh-sang, founder of venture capital firm Primer Sazze Partners, to head its newly established Innovation Entrepreneurship Institute—the only one among the science and technology universities to bring in an outside expert to lead its entrepreneurship center. DGIST President Lee Kun-woo has stated his ambition to “cultivate a South Korean version of Elon Musk specialized in entrepreneurship at DGIST.”

The scale of support for this year’s competition also expanded significantly. The Ministry of Science and ICT utilized a supplementary budget of 39.8 billion won (approximately $29.4 million) for deep-tech startup support at the four science and technology universities, increasing the number of supported teams to 35 per institution, totaling 140. This marks a substantial increase compared to the previous level of just two teams per institution, or eight teams in total.

The top 10 teams receive the Minister of Science and ICT Award and the respective university president’s award, with prize money of up to 200 million won (approximately $150,000) depending on ranking. Follow-up support including global acceleration programs, overseas proof-of-concept (PoC) projects, and investment connections will also be provided

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to use this competition as a springboard to expand the startup support framework across the four science and technology universities. With entrepreneurship centers newly established at GIST, DGIST, and UNIST in July, all four institutions—including KAIST—now have dedicated startup support organizations. Going forward, the ministry aims to link technology discovery, prototype development, overseas PoC, and entrepreneurship education to support the commercialization of research outcomes and student entrepreneurship.

Kim Sung-soo, Director General for R&D Policy at South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “GRAVITY 2026 is a symbolic occasion demonstrating how South Korea’s finest research capabilities translate into market innovation. We will spare no effort in supporting young scientists from the four science and technology universities and beyond to take on the challenge of entrepreneurship without fear and grow on the global stage.”

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Source: finance.biggo.com