Global science and technology company Merck announced the winners of the 22nd Merck Award at the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID 2025) and successfully held 'Merck Science Connect' on the topic of optronics.

The event, themed 'Beyond Pixels, Beyond Limits', was held at BEXCO in Busan from August 19th to 22nd.


This year's Merck Award went to Dr. Nam-Seong Cho of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), who led the development of next-generation AR/VR displays through OLED microdisplay process technology.

Dr. Cho is leading the future of the display industry by conducting a wide range of research, from the development of OLED blue phosphorescent materials to AR display full-process technology.

He said, “I am honored to be recognized for my 20 years of research achievements, and I will continue to contribute to the development of the industry through cooperation between academia, industry, and research.”

Additionally, Professor Sang-Hyun Kim of KAIST, who has developed original source technology in the field of MicroLED displays, was awarded the 2024 Merck Young Scientist Award.

Professor Kim has proven his world-class technological prowess by solving the problem of reduced efficiency in small LEDs of 10μm or less and successfully implementing a 1,700PPI red display.


Dr. Johannes Canisius, Head of Merck's Global OLED Business, gave a keynote speech on the topic of 'Innovation and Conclusion: Balancing Vision and Reality', and on the 21st, he discussed the future direction of the display industry through 'Merck Science Connect'. Shared technology trends.

This forum highlighted the evolution of display technology into optoelectronic technology and presented the potential of next-generation visual technology for the AI, AR, and VR era.

Kim Woo-kyu, CEO of Merck Korea, emphasized, “Merck has been investing in display technology for over 120 years and is creating new business opportunities such as AR/VR and optical coatings through Materials Intelligence™ solutions.”

This year's IMID 2025 has established itself as a venue to highlight the contributions of scientists driving innovation in the display industry and to strengthen the connection between technology and industry.

The full Merck Science Connect presentation can be found on the Merck website and social media.