Regional Digital Innovation Hub Development Support
Creating an Industrial Environment for Talent to Thrive
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dong-guk Lee] Pohang City and Gyeongbuk Province are embarking on the ‘Regional Digital Innovation Hub Development Project’ to establish a base where digital talents and companies can take root and grow in the region.
The ‘Digital Innovation Hub Development Project’ is a 2023 Ministry of Science and ICT public contest project aimed at creating a digital innovation hub comparable to Pangyo Techno Valley in the region. It seeks to form a digital ecosystem composed of digital companies and talents, enabling the region to independently lead the digital convergence of its main industries and create high value-added digital new industries based on SW and AI.
Pohang City and Gyeongbuk Province have been preparing thoroughly since 2021 to establish a digital ecosystem and build an innovation hub.
They pursued designation as a dedicated SW promotion institution, and in January 2021, the Gyeongbuk SW Industry Promotion Headquarters, an affiliated institution of Pohang Techno Park, was designated and announced by the Ministry of Science and ICT as a regional base software promotion institution (hereinafter referred to as the regional base institution) under the Software Promotion Act.
The regional base institution is entrusted by the Ministry of Science and ICT to perform some tasks for the region, including ▲ policy research and development planning in ICT/SW fields ▲ ICT project planning support and performance management ▲ infrastructure linkage ▲ cooperation among industry, academia, research, and government.
In May last year, the Gyeongbuk SW Promotion Headquarters was designated as a specialized SW workforce training institution, and in June, it was designated as a SW quality KOLAS accredited institution. Thus, among the five designated fields under the Software Promotion Act (promotion institution, promotion facility, promotion complex, quality certification, workforce training), only the promotion complex (digital innovation hub) remains.
Additionally, in December last year, Park Yoon-kyu, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, visited Pohang as a digital innovation site and exchanged opinions with local digital companies and R&D institution officials on forming a regional digital ecosystem. They introduced Pohang’s digital innovation infrastructure, including POSTECH, Apple Developer Academy, and Change Up Ground.
Pohang City and Gyeongbuk Province initiated a study on digital innovation hub development measures in May last year, deriving the vision and strategy for hub development through industrial ecosystem surveys, feasibility verification, and site analysis.
According to the final results of the study, manufacturing accounts for 41.9% of Gyeongbuk’s regional gross production. Besides traditional industries such as metal, machinery, and electronics, new industries like secondary batteries, bio-health, and hydrogen fuel cells are being fostered. This makes the region the optimal site for the digital innovation hub project, where the effects of digital convergence can be most significant, and it is analyzed that a representative industrial convergence-type digital innovation hub can be established.
Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang City, said, “We will focus administrative efforts on preparing for the contest in cooperation with related organizations to create a digital innovation hub, nurture digital new industries, and supply digital innovation demand needed by regional industries through digital companies, thereby forming a main industry and digital ecosystem.”
The ‘Regional Digital Innovation Hub Development Support’ pilot project will hold a contest from February 3 to March 31, selecting regions with high growth potential for digital new industries as pilot digital innovation hub areas and supporting initial development costs.
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