■ The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) said on the 5th that drone detection and neutralization equipment developed through the "illegal drone intelligent response technology development" project was deployed in the field for drone countermeasures during on-site security at APEC 2025 in Gyeongju and carried out its mission. The technology is the result of the multiministry project by the Korea AeroSpace Administration and the Korean National Police Agency, launched in 2021 to respond to illegal drone threats to nationally important facilities, and more than 30 institutions, including the lead agency KAERI, LIG Nex1 and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), conducted research over five years.
■ Inha University said on the 5th that it recently signed an industry-academia cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with FuriosaAI, a leading domestic artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor corporations, for AI Semiconductor design and talent development. Specifically, the plan is to pursue joint development and research in AI semiconductor design, verification, packaging and testing; development of practice-oriented curricula focused on industrial worksites; student internships and joint industry-academia projects; and cooperation on hands-on training for design, verification, packaging and testing technologies. Inha University's Semiconductor Specialized University Project Group plans to use this to strengthen a sustainable industry-academia cooperation model that links education, research and industry.
■ The Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) held an opening ceremony on the 5th for the "next-generation secondary battery commercialization support center" at the Ulsan Techno Industrial Complex. The support center is the nation's first integrated secondary battery infrastructure capable of full-cycle demonstration for next-generation secondary batteries and is expected to serve as a key base facility for commercialization of the technology and strengthening industrial competitiveness. About 150 participants from industry, academia, research and government attended the opening ceremony, including KIER President Lee Chang-geun, Kim Doo-kyum, the mayor of Ulsan, and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) President Park Jong-rae.
■ The National Science Museum held the "71st National Science Exhibition awards ceremony" on the 5th at the National Science Museum Science Hall. This year's competition received a total of 2,836 entries from 17 cities and provinces nationwide, and after screening, 301 works were selected as award winners. About 400 people, including awardees, guiding teachers and parents, attended the ceremony to celebrate the achievements of future science talent. The National Science Museum plans to hold a regional traveling exhibition of outstanding award-winning works from the National Science Exhibition and the National Student Science Invention Contest between November and December.
■ SnapScale Co., a startup corporations made up of POSTECH students, won the grand prize in the pre-startup track of the "2025 Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition" hosted by the Asan Nanum Foundation on Oct. 29. Simula.ai, developed by SnapScale, is a Generative AI solution specialized for manufacturing that automates the complex process design of EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) corporations, and it was recognized for both its unrivaled technological innovation and high marketability. The achievement is being evaluated as a successful case of the university's full-cycle startup support program that spans from idea discovery to commercialization and incorporation.