North Gyeongsang Province, Daegu launch innovation cluster task force for Daegu-Gyeongbuk region

North Gyeongsang Province and Daegu held an inaugural ceremony June 17 for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Regional Innovation Cluster Task Force at Lahan Select Gyeongju.

The ceremony drew officials from the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, local governments in North Gyeongsang Province and Daegu, related agencies, and organizations carrying out the regional innovation cluster program. Participants also heard presentations on the task force's future plans.

The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Regional Innovation Cluster Development Project aims to strengthen the competitiveness of local industries and support the creation of new industries.

The Daegu convergence complex has built an innovation ecosystem comprising 1,118 companies, 20,983 employees and 10.5253 trillion won ($6.91 billion) in sales. The North Gyeongsang convergence complex has grown to encompass 718 companies, 9,651 employees and 4.7969 trillion won in sales.

Both regions have posted steady growth across key indicators — including the number of businesses, employees and sales — since being designated as clusters.

The task force is led by Daegu Technopark as the principal organization, with North Gyeongsang Technopark, the North Gyeongsang Regional Industry Promotion Agency, the Gumi Electronics and Information Technology Institute, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, the Daegu Regional Industry Promotion Agency and Kyungpook National University serving as member institutions.

"The launch of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk task force has laid the groundwork for North Gyeongsang Province and Daegu to collaborate as a single supra-regional innovation zone," said Park Si-gyun, director of North Gyeongsang Province's Meta AI Science Bureau. "We will work closely with the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology to strengthen cooperation among regional innovation actors and actively support efforts to translate locally driven R&D outcomes into tangible industrial results."