Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority partners with startups for on-site pilots in port safety, environment and tourism
Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority announced Wednesday that three consortiums have been selected under the 2026 Innowave project, an open-innovation program run by the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development, with the port authority participating as a demand institution.
Innowave supports joint proof-of-concept projects between deep-tech startups and large companies or public institutions. Each startup selected for a final consortium receives 100 million won ($67,000) in collaboration funding.
The port authority has been involved in the selection process since May, identifying collaboration tasks applicable to the Yeosu Gwangyang port in the areas of safety, environment and tourism, and conducting field surveys to find suitable startups.
The three selected consortiums will each apply distinct technologies at the port. At the Nakpo Pier mooring section, a 70-ton rope-release system will be installed to monitor rope loads in real time, with AI used to predict accidents and trigger remote releases.
At the Gwangyang container terminal, carbon-measuring devices will be attached to port equipment to record actual carbon emissions based on the international ISO 14083 standard.
In the tourism sector, the authority will operate a locally tailored tourism experience using leased space at the Yeosu World Expo site, with the aim of demonstrating content capable of attracting visitors from other regions.
The authority plans to carry out full-scale on-site pilots with the three startups through the end of the year, with monthly consultative meetings to track progress. Results will be presented at the Innowave League evaluation in December.
parkds@heraldcorp.com
