The Korea Medical Device Development Fund (KMDF) shared the outcomes of the first-phase program it supported over six years.
On the 22nd in the morning at Lotte Hotel Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul, the fund held the 2025 pan-ministerial medical device research and development (R&D) awards and presented commendations for 20 outstanding results among 467 research projects supported over the past six years.
This program is supported jointly by four government ministries—the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety—covering the entire research cycle from advanced medical device design to application in clinical settings.
Launched in 2020, the first-phase program ran for six years through this year, investing a total of 947.9 billion won from state funds and private capital and conducting 467 research projects.
Deputy Minister Kim Tae-hyung of the pan-ministerial medical device fund said, "Over six years, there were around 2,500 papers and patents, and corporations carrying out the projects attracted about 550 billion won in investment."
Kim also explained, "Of the roughly 300 corporations newly listed on KOSDAQ from 2021 to Nov. 2025, 25 are in the bio-health sector, and 10 of those are corporations that carried out the fund's projects," adding, "They were listed on KOSDAQ during the project period." Kim said, "Government R&D support is becoming an opportunity to enhance corporations' credibility and future value beyond simple budget support."
Since 2023, the fund has selected 10 representative projects each year. For these commendations, about 59 institutions applied through a public call, and based on research and development performance, contribution to research and development, ripple effects, and public contribution, internal and external experts selected 20 awards, including government commendations, professional institution awards, and the fund director-general's awards.
Brightonics Imaging, the only domestic corporation developing positron emission tomography (PET) equipment systems, and Curiosis, which developed a system that automates experimentation and analysis processes in laboratories, research labs, and factories using technologies such as computers and robots, received commendations from the Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Seoul National University Hospital and medical artificial intelligence (AI) corporation AIRS Medical received commendations from the Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare award went to Seers Technology, which developed a patch-type wearable electrocardiogram testing system that diagnoses and manages cardiac diseases such as arrhythmia, and to Curaco, which developed a device linked to the hospital electronic medical record (EMR) system that automatically manages patients' bowel movements in hospitals.
Angel Robotics, which developed a domestically produced wearable gait rehabilitation robot, and Todac, which localized cochlear implant devices that had been entirely imported, received the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) award, while i-SENS, which developed a domestic continuous glucose monitor (CGM), and Samsung Medical Center received the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) institutional award.
Emocog, which developed the digital therapeutic device "Cogthera" for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), received the Korea Planning&Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) institutional award, while DRTECH, Boditech Med, VIMWORKS, HUINNO, Samduck Commerce, and others received the Director General's commendations.
The ChosunBiz medical-bio team has shed light on the R&D status and footprint of corporations selected for the first-phase fund. Accordingly, Oh Gwang-jin, editor-in-chief of ChosunBiz's Economy Chosun, received a meritorious service award.
Fund Director Kim Beop-min said, "Their achievements will serve as a strategic inflection point that elevates the capabilities of domestic medical devices and lays the groundwork for new innovation," adding, "We hope that six years of national investment and researchers' dedicated efforts will lead to improved public health and tangible contributions."
The second-phase program will launch next year under the name "pan-ministerial advanced medical device research and development project." Through 2032 over the next seven years, a total of 940.8 billion won will be invested, including 838.3 billion won in state funds and 102.5 billion won in private capital, to develop six world-first or world-best medical devices and localize 13 essential medical devices.