The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Ryu Seok-hyun, hereinafter referred to as KIMM) is pioneering a new path for the advancement of industrial technology by establishing a sustainable industrial cooperation ecosystem.

On the 12th, the Korea Machinery & Materials Institute launched a new platform, ‘K-Partners’, to promote cooperation between companies and held its inaugural general meeting at its Daejeon headquarters.

The inaugural general meeting was attended by major companies and researchers in the fields of advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI, and virtual engineering, and began full-scale efforts to build a cooperative ecosystem.

K-Partners aims to be a sustainable platform that solves problems that companies find difficult to solve alone within a collaborative ecosystem.

To this end, we will provide practical growth partnerships such as joint research, technology transfer, and test bed support by combining the latest technologies of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials and the industrial experience of companies.

In particular, it differentiates itself from existing cooperation systems through the '3S strategy' centered on Speed, Share, and Sustain.

In the Speed strategy, we operate the 'K-Partners Round' to quickly match corporate issues with researcher technology, and conduct regular and ad hoc technology Through pitching and speed matching, researchers are immediately connected to R&D projects for technology commercialization.

The Share strategy plans to expand national research and development projects, promote international joint research projects, share research infrastructure, and expand personnel exchange between researchers and companies.

The Sustain strategy establishes a step-by-step operational strategy to expand the cooperative ecosystem, provide incentives to participating companies, and promote systematic performance management.

Through K-Partners, companies plan to activate joint research and new business discovery and accelerate digital transformation by incorporating technologies owned by researchers, such as digital twins and AI.

In addition, we support strengthening R&D capabilities and realizing technological internalization through customized technical training for companies and personnel exchange between researchers and companies, thereby leading technological innovation in national strategic fields.

The inaugural general meeting was attended by 27 companies and researchers in the fields of advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI, and virtual engineering, and the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials plans to continuously expand its member companies.

The event featured presentations on K-Partners' operational plans and industry trends, networking sessions, and lab tours, leading to active discussions among attendees.

Ryu Seok-hyun, the president of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, said, “K-Partners provides a sustainable partnership model that goes beyond simple one-time collaborations and helps companies achieve real growth.” He added, “We will utilize the institute’s technology and infrastructure to promote communication and collaboration between companies and expand our collaborative network that can coexist with innovative companies with global competitiveness.”