Domestic innovative technologies that lead sustainable development in developing countries are once again taking to the world stage.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) announced that it will recruit companies to participate in the '2025-2026 CTS (Creative Technology Solution) Program' until July 14. The CTS program is operated with the purpose of combining official development assistance (ODA) and private innovative technologies to solve complex social problems in developing countries and expand opportunities for domestic companies to advance into the global market.
KOICA has been actively introducing innovative business models that utilize private technology and resources as a new paradigm for ODA. As part of this, it has been operating the CTS program since 2015 and has discovered and supported 139 projects in 23 countries to date. Through this, it has made a substantial contribution to improving the quality of life of millions of residents in developing countries.
Representative success stories include 'Weflat', which solved water loss problems in developing countries through 'Intelligent Leakage Management Solution' based on AI and IoT; 'Cast', which improved the storability and safety of food and contributed to improving the distribution competitiveness of local agricultural products by utilizing advanced oxidation process (AOP) technology based on low-temperature microplasma; and 'TL', which developed a simple respiratory disease screening device based on machine learning to increase the early diagnosis rate for residents of developing countries. Their technologies have been actually applied in Indonesia, Cambodia, Tanzania, Vietnam, etc., and are receiving international attention for producing meaningful results.
The 2025 contest targets prospective entrepreneurs, startups, and social enterprises with less than 10 years of experience, and up to KRW 1.1 billion in operating expenses will be supported. Depending on the company's technological maturity and promotion strategy, you can choose to participate in Seed 1 (up to KRW 400 million) that verifies technology through small-scale local test beds, Seed 2 (up to KRW 700 million) that aims to enter the market based on technological advancement and local partnerships, and CTS-TIPS linked type (up to KRW 1.1 billion) that comprehensively supports the entire process from technology verification to commercialization in a fast-track manner.
Seed 1 is the technology verification stage through a small-scale test bed, and up to 400 million won is supported, and Seed 2 is the market entry stage through technology advancement and local partnerships, and up to 700 million won is supported. CTS-TIPS Linkage is a fast track that comprehensively supports the entire process from technology verification to commercialization, and up to 1.1 billion won is supported.
The recruitment areas are different for each stage. Seed 1 and Seed 2 support projects that respond to various pressing issues in developing countries, such as education, health, rural development, water, transportation, cities, digital, energy, climate action, and humanitarian aid. The CTS-TIPS linkage covers future core technologies, including the 10 new industry fields designated by the Korean government: eco-friendly energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, biotechnology and health, future mobility, aerospace and marine, robots, cybersecurity and networks, system semiconductors, next-generation nuclear power plants, and quantum technology. Innovative companies with technological prowess can achieve both goals of development cooperation and global expansion at the same time.
As part of the promotion for recruiting participating companies this time, KOICA held the '2025-2026 CTS Competition Briefing Session' at the Pangyo Techno Valley Startup Campus Conference Hall in Seongnam City on the 15th. The briefing session was attended by a large number of prospective entrepreneurs and startup officials who hoped to participate in the program, showing great interest. The on-site event included an explanation of the main points of the 2025 competition, presentations of cases of excellent performing companies, and a Q&A session. In particular, CEO Min-hwan Kim of 'Cast', a graduate company that completed both Seed 1 and Seed 2 from 2020 to 2024, shared vivid real-life cases and specific preparation strategies based on his experience in Cambodia and Tanzania, receiving a great response.
Jeong Yu-ah, Director of KOICA’s Partner Business Division, said, “In 2015, KOICA launched the CTS program to solve numerous challenges in developing countries through the ideas and technologies of innovators, and this year marks its 10th year.” She added, “Through collaboration with various prospective entrepreneurs and startups in Korea, we have promoted 139 projects in developing countries and created many results.”
He continued, “KOICA will actively support our companies through the CTS project so that they can advance overseas and contribute to the sustainable development of developing countries with innovative solutions,” and requested genuine business participation and interest from aspiring entrepreneurs and companies.
This CTS contest seeks to find a point of contact between technology and development cooperation, and provides a practical opportunity for companies that want to challenge themselves on the global stage. Applications will be accepted until July 14, and detailed information can be found on the 'Institutional Competition' bulletin board on the KOICA website. Inquiries can be made through the CTS Support Center.
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