STEPI calls for nurturing local entrepreneurs to drive regional innovation

Revitalizing regions facing population decline and industrial decay requires more than attracting factories, universities and research institutes — it demands nurturing small-scale local experiments into sustainable innovation ecosystems, experts said Tuesday.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held its 10th Industry-Academia-Research Innovation Forum and the 2026 North Jeolla Province Local Startup Forum at the Wanju Economic Center in North Jeolla Province on Tuesday.

The forum centered on the theme of "Local entrepreneurs as new agents of regional problem-solving: How can small local experiments be scaled up into regional innovation?" Discussions focused on ways to translate grassroots experiments — including living labs, youth participation and small-business collaboration — into genuine regional innovation, with local entrepreneurs at the core.

Song Wi-jin, policy committee chair of the Korea Living Lab Network, opened the forum with a presentation arguing that policies centered solely on attracting factories, public institutions, research centers and universities have limited effectiveness in reversing regional decline.

Song called for a "transformative regional innovation policy" that starts from the challenges regions actually face — population decline, industrial contraction and climate change. He particularly proposed a "Collective Impact" project aimed at building a sustainable startup ecosystem that draws talent, businesses and capital into local communities.

Han Dong-seung, former director of the Industry-Academia Shared Collaboration Center at Jeonju University, said residents must go beyond being passive consumers and become co-producers in solving local problems. He outlined a plan to expand a "Wanju-style living lab" — linking food, care, energy and local finance through a division of labor among social enterprises and mutual-aid financing — starting at the neighborhood and shop level.

The role of young people and universities also drew attention. Hwang Tae-gyu, dean of the College of Future Convergence at Woosuk University, said students who gain direct field experience and then work alongside experts, institutions and businesses to develop policies and products could serve as a university-led regional innovation model.

Speakers also called for a support ecosystem to help local small-business owners turn their on-the-ground experiments into sustainable ventures.

Lee Seon-mi, head of Joajigu, shared examples of small-business collaboration in Wanju and said, "Regional problems are discovered in the field first, not in reports." She said government agencies, universities, research institutions and the private sector must work together to build a foundation for continued growth even after government support programs end.

A subsequent discussion examined "scale-up" strategies for strengthening the innovation capacity of local entrepreneurs, connecting resources within regions and spreading successful models more widely.

STEPI's Industry-Academia-Research Innovation Forum launched in May 2024 to identify models of cooperation among local governments, businesses, universities, government-funded research institutes and civil society. It has held sessions addressing region-specific innovation agendas in Jeonju, Masan, Daejeon, Cheonan, Asan and Seoul.