Special zone foundation teams up with Airbus to grow aerospace deep tech

The Research and Development Special Zone Foundation announced Tuesday that it had held "Open Innovation Daedeok with Airbus" in partnership with Airbus.

The event was organized as an open innovation program allowing deep tech companies in the special zone to showcase their technological competitiveness and commercialization capabilities in areas matching Airbus's technology needs.

Airbus recently completed its move-in at the Daedeok Special Zone Science Center, where it opened a Tech Hub R&D center, and is looking to connect with the zone's innovation ecosystem.

Recruitment targeted special zone companies with technologies aligned with Airbus's needs, covering five areas: device-to-device direct communication technology that bypasses base stations; intelligent RAN and core technology that embeds AI across networks; compact, low-power beamforming and intelligent antenna technology for next-generation Massive MIMO; reconfigurable intelligent surface technology that converts walls and glass windows into active signal amplifiers; and integrated sensing and communication technology that simultaneously uses wireless signals for both communications and radar sensing.

Four companies — Adwave Co., Bluewavetel Co., Intospace Co. and AU Co. — were selected following a comprehensive evaluation by Airbus headquarters of their technological competitiveness and potential for collaboration, and participated in on-site presentations that day.

The selected companies will have the opportunity to participate in a technology seminar where they can introduce their technologies and collaboration ideas directly to Airbus representatives.

Daedeok Special Zone companies confirmed to have collaboration potential with Airbus will be eligible to receive consulting and mentoring support for drafting pilot scale-up planning reports, linked to the Daedeok Special Zone Regional Innovation Pilot Project Planning program.

The foundation plans to continue expanding open innovation cooperation between global demand companies and special zone firms on the back of this program, and will also pursue follow-on pilot projects and technology commercialization initiatives.

For companies confirmed to have collaboration potential with Airbus, the foundation will provide consulting and mentoring tied to pilot scale-up planning.

Lee Hee-hwan, president of Airbus Korea, said the Airbus Tech Hub Korea in the Daedeok Special Zone was established "to promote global research and innovation cooperation and to strengthen Korea's position as a strategic technology partner." He added that he hopes the projects identified through the program will come to fruition.

Jeong Hee-kwon, chairman of the special zone foundation, said the aerospace industry is "a representative deep tech sector where global supply chains and pilot-based cooperation determine competitiveness." He added that the foundation will expand its support "so that special zone companies can have their technological capabilities validated in the global market through open innovation linked to the technology needs of global companies, and go on to become successful commercialization cases in the future aerospace sector."