2025 Digital Healthcare Hub Networking Day Successfully Concluded

– Establishing a core platform for fostering the digital healthcare industry in Sejong City.

The 2025 Digital Healthcare Hub Networking Day, held by Sejong Special Self-Governing City on November 28, concluded successfully.

This event was co-hosted and organized by the Sejong Future Strategy Industry Research Institute's Digital Healthcare Center and Korea University's Sejong Campus. Eight digital healthcare startups, numerous investors, and officials from related organizations attended, creating a forum for exchange to build an industrial ecosystem.

The event consisted of a center introduction, a Sejong City policy briefing, IR pitches by eight startups, a keynote session, and one-on-one business matching. Eight companies, including Demand, Doctorpresso, Bionutrion, Bwave, Organoplus, Pantomix, and Gowon, presented and engaged with investors, focusing on their technological prowess and commercialization.

Starting with a presentation by Professor Hwang Han-jeong of Korea University, the presentation introduced the roles of the Digital Healthcare Center and the ITRC Smart City Intelligent Healthcare Research Center of the Future Strategy Institute (SIBT), which are currently operating based on the Sejong RISE project, as well as the industry-academia-research cooperation structure, the status of research platform construction, and technology transfer cases. Team Leader Kwak Min-seok, Center Director Jeong Dong-jun, and CEO Yoo Jun-gyeong shared examples of corporate support, deep tech fostering, and AI electronic drug development, emphasizing that Sejong City's policy foundation and university-corporate cooperation structure will serve as a foundation for future regional industrial growth.

Sejong City has identified digital healthcare as a key area among its 5+1 future strategic industries and is focusing on attracting companies and fostering an industrial ecosystem. Korea University's Sejong Campus is also contributing to the development of local industries by establishing a specialized talent training system spanning undergraduate through doctoral programs, based on the newly established Department of Digital Healthcare Engineering. Going forward, Sejong City plans to establish a Smart Health Zone within the national pilot city by 2028, providing a digital healthcare demonstration platform and supporting companies' technology validation and market entry.

The Sejong City policy announcement highlighted Sejong Technopark's corporate support program. Various benefits garnered attention, including 70 percent annual rent subsidies, up to 20 million won (a total of 40 million won over two years), 5 million won in interior design support, and special apartment supply for companies relocating with 20 or more employees. Furthermore, plans were announced to establish a foundation for corporate growth, including support for the use of 41 pieces of 38 types of research equipment at the Jiphyeon-dong Bio-Healthcare Material Activation Center and a plan to create a 100 billion won fund for future strategic industries.

The one-on-one business matching program offered IR-participating startups a chance to consult with investors at their respective investor tables, divided into Part 1 and Part 2. Companies not matched with the program were given the opportunity to participate in the next round, ensuring all companies had access to investors. Investors and representatives from related organizations engaged in in-depth discussions focused on technological trends, regulatory changes, and market growth potential, including mental health management services, AI-based diagnostic technologies, and personalized healthcare.

IR pitching showcased a variety of innovative technologies, including mental health, AI-based depression diagnosis, personalized nutrition solutions, brainwave-based diagnostic platforms, organ chip-based new drug development, AI cardiac imaging solutions, and high-altitude environment implementation technologies. Each company captured the attention of the audience by demonstrating the competitiveness of their technologies based on clinical data and commercialization achievements.

This networking day was evaluated as a crucial turning point for the establishment of a digital healthcare hub in Sejong City. The latter half of the event featured free networking and commemorative photos to strengthen the foundation for collaboration. Participants praised Sejong City's policy support and Korea University's talent development system as positive factors in fostering an industrial ecosystem.