Daedeok Special Zone opens innovation lounge to connect tech, business and investment

A new innovation hub has opened in the Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone, giving companies, research institutions and investors a shared space to explore technology and business opportunities.

The Korea Research Institute of Special Zone's Daedeok R&D Special Zone headquarters announced Tuesday that it has launched full operations of the Daedeok Connect Lounge, a newly renovated space on the 18th floor of the Expo Tower Science Center.

The lounge is an open collaboration space connecting innovators inside and outside the Daedeok Special Zone — including companies, government-funded research institutes, universities and investment firms. It supports the full pipeline from technology exchange and open innovation to investment attraction and networking, helping research results translate into real business and investment opportunities.

Spanning 214 square meters and capable of holding up to 100 people, the lounge is equipped with a large LED display, audio and microphone systems, and other event infrastructure. The layout can be reconfigured freely to suit different purposes, accommodating business presentations, technology exchange forums, inter-company open innovation sessions, investor relations events and industry-academia-research networking programs.

The Daedeok Special Zone headquarters plans to develop the space into more than a meeting or rental facility, positioning it as a shared collaboration platform linked to the zone's company support programs and technology commercialization initiatives.

Starting this month, the lounge will host a full schedule of programs aimed at fostering industry-academia-research cooperation, including technology exchange conferences, open innovation briefings and sector-specific investment IR sessions. The space will be open not only to company and research institution representatives but also to the general public.

"This will be a space where technologies, companies and institutions come together to broaden the possibilities for technology exchange, investment and business cooperation," said Im Mun-taek, head of the Daedeok Special Zone headquarters. "We hope it will serve as an innovation hub that drives 'deep impact' — turning deep tech achievements into real change in industry and the market."