Three-month intensive development to shape ideas into policy, projects; 'champion of champions' contest set for October
The top 100 ideas — selected from 27,185 submissions at a competition ratio of roughly 270 to 1 — will come together in one place, representing contributors from every age group and walk of life, ranging from 19 to 66 years old.
The Intellectual Property Office held the "Everyone's Idea" Top 100 Summit on Thursday at KT&G Sangsang Planet in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
The summit brought together all 100 top-ranked submitters to mark the significance of their selection and share plans for upcoming development support.
The event featured four components: presentation of Top 100 nameplates and badges, a keynote address by Kim Se-jik, president of the Korea Development Institute, an overview of the development program, and one-on-one expert consulting sessions. The office also discussed tailored support directions reflecting the specific characteristics and needs of each submitter's idea, aiming to strengthen the effectiveness of the development process ahead.
"Everyone's Idea" marks the first full step in refining public ideas with the goal of connecting them to actual startups and national policy.
Starting with the Top 100 Summit, the Intellectual Property Office will run an intensive three-month development program for all 100 selected ideas.
Technology ideas will receive support chosen from options including expert consulting, patent applications, technical verification and prototype production. Policy ideas will go through expert advisory sessions and a scale-up process, with the strongest candidates advancing to pilot implementation in cooperation with related ministries.
Final award winners will be chosen through a presentation evaluation in September and a champion-of-champions contest in October, with follow-up support continuing to help outstanding ideas become startups or policy initiatives.
Meanwhile, to spread a culture of public ideation beyond the Top 100, the office also selected the top 10,000 participants overall. Results are available on each user's personal page on the Everyone's Idea website, and those selected will receive regional currency worth 30,000 won (about $20) in July.
"In the age of AI, the experience and ideas of each and every citizen are a precious national resource," said Kim Yong-seon, commissioner of the Intellectual Property Office. "We will provide full support so that the creative thinking uncovered through Everyone's Idea can bear fruit in the form of startups, policy and technological innovation."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
