Goyang City Signs MOU with Singapore's Innovate 360
Collaboration to Foster Food Startups in the Free Economic Zone
Seeking Partnerships for Designation of Goyang Free Economic Zone
Lee Donghwan, mayor of Goyang Special City, embarked on a three-day visit to Singapore to meet with leading global innovation companies, share the development vision for the Goyang Free Economic Zone, and secure global investment.
Lee Donghwan, mayor of Goyang Special City (left), and John Chang, CEO, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing the 'Innovate 360' business agreement in Singapore. Provided by Goyang Special City
On April 17, Mayor Lee visited 'Innovate 360', a startup support organization specializing in the food and agriculture sectors in Singapore, and signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in nurturing food startups within the Goyang Free Economic Zone.
The main points of the agreement include sharing business strategies for food-related startups, providing expert mentoring, and creating opportunities for collaboration with food industry networks.
Founded in 2018, Innovate 360 is Singapore's first food-dedicated incubator and accelerator. Supported by Enterprise Singapore, a government agency, it offers programs and investments for startups in the food and agriculture sectors.
It provides infrastructure such as food manufacturing spaces, shared research and development (R&D) laboratories, and collaborative offices, while offering promising startups initial funding and mentoring. It also consults on strategic growth for entry into the Asian market.
Mayor Lee stated, "As we promote the Goyang Free Economic Zone, there is an urgent need to support startups in the food and agriculture sectors, such as food trucks and smart farms. I expect today's agreement to play a significant role in the future innovation of Goyang's food industry."
John Chang, founder and CEO of Innovate 360, responded, "As our company also provides support for entering the Asian market, I hope this collaboration will lay an excellent foundation for startups in both countries to understand each other's markets and technologies and grow together."
Additionally, Mayor Lee visited Food Plant, Singapore's first shared facility for small-scale food production, where he toured food production facilities including the analysis and reference rooms.
Food Plant is a shared facility established as a subsidiary of the Singapore Institute of Technology to support pilot production and product development for food manufacturing startups. It provides food processing and manufacturing equipment at low cost, along with the latest technology training and industry networking opportunities.
Professor Lim Bee Gim, founder of Food Plant, said, "For food manufacturing entrepreneurs, precise support in various areas is needed, not only capital but also technology, know-how, and knowledge to overcome trial and error. I look forward to actively pursuing joint projects such as technology exchanges in the future."
Mayor Lee Donghwan remarked, "The public-led startup support provided by Food Plant is an advanced system worthy of emulation in Korea. It is an innovative model in which the public sector supports entrepreneurs with capital, technology, and knowledge to help them succeed. I hope to promote joint growth by attracting food tech-related infrastructure to the Goyang Free Economic Zone in the future."
Meanwhile, on April 16, prior to these activities, Mayor Lee visited the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and met with CEO and Professor Lim Soon Thye, Deputy CEO (Research) and Professor Tan Bin Tean, Professor William Hwang, and others to discuss the development of Goyang's bio and medical industries and ways to collaborate with international medical institutions.
The National Cancer Centre Singapore is a specialized cancer medical institution under the Ministry of Health of Singapore. Located on the SGH campus, which houses five specialized centers?NCCS, National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), National Neuroscience Institute (NINI), and National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS)?as well as a public hospital, it is part of SingHealth, Singapore's largest healthcare group.
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