Donggurami Foundation Holds Orientation for 'TEU MED 4th Cohort'

The TEU MED 4th Orientation, hosted by Donggurami Foundation (Chairman Jang Soon-heung) and organized by Tide Institute, was held on the 27th at the Seoul On video studio in Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Seoul. This event was conducted as part of a program aimed at nurturing innovators in the medical science field.

[▲On the 27th at DDP, 40 participants including Ahn Cheol-soo and Chairman Jang Soon-heung took a group photo at the orientation of the Donggurami Foundation TEU MED 4th class. (Photo by Donggurami Foundation)]

Now in its fourth year, the program aims to cultivate talent in medical science who can solve societal problems.

At the event, Ahn Cheol-soo, a contributor to the Donggurami Foundation, stated, “During my time in medical school, I developed an identity as a ‘volunteer’ and ‘problem solver,’ and since then, I have pursued the value of solving social problems through my roles as a doctor, entrepreneur, and now in political activities.” He added, “When I was a medical student, I developed a computer virus treatment program and distributed it for free, driven not by financial gain but by the desire to be someone who helps society through essential problem-solving.” He continued, “It is very rewarding and promising as a foundation contributor to see the participants of Donggurami Foundation’s TEU MED, now in its 4th term, becoming more diverse, including not only medical students and practicing doctors but also IT professionals.”

Jang Soon-heung, Chairman of Donggurami Foundation, emphasized in his welcoming remarks, “It is important to identify problems and have the attitude to solve them, and the solutions can create greater synergy through collaboration with diverse people.” He also stated, “Just as the meeting of medicine and engineering has led to groundbreaking advancements in our society, I hope the 4th term participants will cooperate to contribute to the development of the medical science field.”

Following this, the 40 participants introduced themselves through a ‘1-minute self-introduction’ titled ‘I am an Innovator Obsessed with ㅇㅇ,’ and then listened to a keynote speech by Lee Nam-sik, President of Incheon Jaeneung University, on the theme “Future Innovation and Exponential Technology,” followed by grand challenge lectures by Ryu Jung-won, CEO of Hillserion, and Professor Heo Jun-nyeong of Chung-Ang University.

Starting with the orientation on the 27th, the 40 participants will embark on an 8-week journey to grow as medical science innovators. The program includes ‘Grand Challenge’ sessions to understand major societal problems, lectures and mentoring by domestic and international experts on ‘Exponential Technology’ that can solve these problems, startup toolkit training, participants’ ‘team building’ and ‘startup springboard,’ and concludes with the final presentation and graduation ceremony called ‘Innovation Day.’

The education will continue until mid-June, with awards given to the top three teams and individual participation prizes totaling 6 million KRW through team presentations.

Song Mi-ryeong, Project Manager of the foundation, said, “We congratulate the participants for joining a program that has already produced 13 startups and attracted over 5 billion KRW in investments among graduates of the past three terms. Now, as the main actors to share ideas and take on challenges, we hope you will freely pursue innovation over the next 8 weeks.” She added, “Especially as the foundation and Tide Institute collaborate closely to grow the program every year, this year we plan to select the Best Innovation Award at the graduation ceremony, so we look forward to many innovative ideas that solve our society’s problems.”