The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) is on the verge of surpassing its 100th research-based startup, leaping forward as a hub for the technology startup ecosystem.

ETRI held the '2025 ETRI Research Institute Startup Family Day' at the Daejeon ICC Hotel on the 17th, once again confirming its status as the government-funded research institute that has produced the most startups.

This event, the third networking event since 2023, was attended by approximately 100 people, including approximately 40 companies founded by ETRI researchers and officials from related organizations.

A platform for joint growth was created through expert lectures, presentations of excellent startup case studies, and networking sessions.

Since ETRI became the first government-funded research institute to introduce the "Researcher Startup Support System" in 2011, it has produced a total of 94 startups.

This represents more than 30% of all government-funded research institute research institute startups, demonstrating that ETRI has established itself as a key player in the technology startup ecosystem.

At the event, companies that stand out in cutting-edge fields such as AI and semiconductors attracted attention.

Hojeon Able Co., Ltd. (CEO Jong-Tae Moon) succeeded in commercializing the world's first epoxy-based solder paste material and began supplying the material for Samsung Electronics smartphones in 2025. We are currently conducting joint development with global companies with the goal of entering the semiconductor AI package market by 2026.

Blue Tile Lab (CEO Hyungwoo Kim) commercialized a post-processing machine vision solution and is now pursuing domestic production of femtosecond laser technology through investment from ETRI. The company achieved sales of KRW 5.6 billion in 2024, growing more than 200% year-on-year, and aims for a KOSDAQ technology special listing in the second half of 2026.

Batonus Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Ji-soo) provides AI-based sign language interpretation services at six national museums across the country, including the National Museum of Korea. In 2026, the company plans to expand into overseas markets, including the Indonesian subway construction project, through collaboration with financial institutions and KOICA programs.

The event also featured expert lectures to enhance understanding of the investment environment and social and economic trends facing startups.

Choi Yun-eok, director of the Ministry of Science and ICT, emphasized, “The government will not spare any effort in providing multifaceted support to ensure that the excellent research results of public research institutes can spread into the market.”

ETRI President Seung-chan Bang stated, “We will actively support research institute startups to secure competitiveness in the global market,” and “We will establish ourselves as a leading institution for public technology startups.”