Korea’s open innovation platform AroundX is coming into a brand new section. In 2026, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will choose 403 startups to collaborate with 17 multinational companies, together with OpenAI, HP, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Astellas. The size and construction sign a shift from partnership bulletins towards institutionalized, policy-backed execution inside Korea’s deep-tech startup technique.
MSS Opens Purposes for 403 Startups Underneath 2026 AroundX Program
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) introduced on February 27 that it’s going to recruit 403 startup firms to take part within the 2026 AroundX world company collaboration program. Purposes are open till March 16 by way of the Ok-Startup portal.
AroundX is a government-led open innovation initiative launched in 2019 to attach Korean startups with world companies for development assist and abroad growth. This system started with Google Play as its sole companion and has expanded yearly.
In 2026, 4 new firms have joined the platform: OpenAI, Mercedes-Benz Korea, Astellas, and HP. This brings the overall variety of taking part multinational companies to 17.
This system will function below two tracks. The Accelerating observe focuses on incubation utilizing the infrastructure and experience of taking part companies. The Open Innovation observe facilities on joint proof-of-concept initiatives and analysis and improvement collaboration. The place concrete collaboration duties are recognized, a second-year Open Innovation program will assist longer-term execution.
Startups chosen below AroundX will obtain as much as KRW 200 million in commercialization funding from MSS. They may also achieve entry to corporate-led companies, coaching, consulting, and world market improvement assist.
Eligibility is proscribed to startups inside seven years of multinational, or ten years in designated new {industry} sectors.
How AroundX Advanced from Pilot to 17-Company Platform
AroundX started in 2019 below the title “World Company Collaboration Program” with Google Play as its solely companion. By 2025, participation had expanded to 13 multinational companies together with NVIDIA, Microsoft, Amazon Net Providers, IBM, Intel, Oracle, Siemens, L’Oréal, Thales, Air Liquide, Dassault Systèmes, and Ansys.
The 2026 growth introduces 4 further strategic-sector gamers. OpenAI represents generative AI infrastructure. Mercedes-Benz Korea strengthens mobility collaboration. Astellas brings pharmaceutical and bio-industry linkage. HP expands PC and AI-related incubation below its “HP Storage 2.0” initiative.
The structural change this yr lies not solely in company participation however in scale. This system will assist 403 startups in a single consumption cycle, marking a big growth in comparison with prior years.
This system can be divided extra clearly into operational tracks. Twelve applications fall below the Accelerating observe, whereas six are categorized below Open Innovation. This segmentation displays a coverage effort to separate incubation-led engagement from enterprise-grade joint R&D execution.
Ministerial Place on Deep-Tech Enlargement
Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups acknowledged:
“With 4 world main firms in strategic industries newly taking part, new alternatives have opened for our startups. We’ll proceed to actively collaborate with world companies looking for to work with Ok-startups and speed up the event of deep-tech startups.”
Her remarks body AroundX throughout the broader 2026 coverage route emphasizing deep know-how sectors.
No further coverage adjustments or funds revisions past this system’s expanded scale had been specified within the announcement.
AroundX 403-Startup Enlargement: Impression for Korea’s Startup Ecosystem
The 2026 growth positions AroundX as a scaled, institutional open innovation infrastructure relatively than a restricted partnership scheme.
The choice of 403 startups introduces a stage of quantity not often seen in corporate-collaboration applications in Asia-Pacific ecosystems. Singapore’s Enterprise Singapore initiatives and Japan’s J-Startup platform function in another way, usually emphasizing curated cohorts relatively than large-volume deployment inside a single centralized framework.
The twin-track mannequin clarifies two pathways:
- Incubation utilizing world company belongings
- Joint know-how validation and R&D collaboration
This construction reduces ambiguity in program expectations. Startups coming into below the Accelerating observe can anticipate structured corporate-backed incubation. These below Open Innovation should have interaction in outlined technical collaboration.
The inclusion of OpenAI and HP additionally aligns this system with generative AI, enterprise computing, and cloud infrastructure tendencies shaping the Asia-Pacific startup ecosystem in 2026.
On the similar time, AroundX stays a policy-driven platform. Funding assist of as much as KRW 200 million per startup is offered straight by MSS. Company applications complement relatively than change state-backed commercialization capital.
This design displays Korea’s broader startup structure: public capital initiates engagement, multinational companies present infrastructure entry, and startups function inside a policy-mediated collaboration setting.
For worldwide founders evaluating Korea as an entry level into Northeast Asia, AroundX alerts that company collaboration is institutionally organized relatively than advert hoc. For enterprise traders, participation in AroundX might operate as early-stage validation, though the announcement doesn’t present knowledge on follow-on funding outcomes.
Institutionalizing World Collaboration
AroundX’s 2026 consumption doesn’t introduce a brand new idea. It formalizes scale as an alternative.
By combining authorities funding, outlined collaboration tracks, and multinational participation below a single operational framework, MSS is standardizing corporate-startup engagement as a part of nationwide startup coverage.
The upcoming second-stage program for 2023–2025 graduates, scheduled for separate announcement, suggests continuity relatively than one-off engagement.
As world capital tightens and company enterprise spending turns into extra selective, Korea’s mannequin exhibits a special method: policy-backed open innovation that integrates funding, PoC assist, and commercialization help inside one state-coordinated construction.
The effectiveness of this mannequin will rely upon execution and measurable outcomes, notably conversion of PoC initiatives into long-term contracts or capital formation. The present announcement doesn’t disclose efficiency metrics.
Key Takeaways on Korea’s AroundX 2026 Program
- MSS will choose 403 startups below the 2026 AroundX world collaboration program.
- Whole taking part multinational companies elevated to 17, together with OpenAI, HP, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Astellas.
- This system operates below two tracks: Accelerating and Open Innovation.
- Chosen startups obtain as much as KRW 200 million in commercialization funding.
- AroundX displays Korea’s policy-backed method to institutionalized corporate-startup collaboration.
- Purposes shut March 16 by way of the Ok-Startup portal.
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