Korea Intellectual Property Office partners with KDI to boost idea-based growth

The Korea Intellectual Property Office signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Development Institute on Friday to build a national innovation system based on ideas and intellectual property. The agreement, finalized at the Korea IP Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, aims to merge the office's policy coordination strengths with the institute's deep research capabilities.

Under the pact, the two bodies will cooperate on research and education initiatives while reinforcing support across the entire lifecycle of idea development, from discovery to management. The collaboration is expected to bolster the "Everyone's Idea" project, which the intellectual property office launched in January to turn public concepts into startups and policies.

A key component involves strengthening the master's course in intellectual property and development policy established at the development institute with support from the office. Officials expect this academic reinforcement, combined with enhanced policy research, to allow for more sophisticated design of future intellectual property strategies.

Kim Se-jik, president of the Korea Development Institute, called the agreement a meaningful starting point for linking creative public ideas to real economic growth.

Kim Yong-seon, commissioner of the Korea Intellectual Property Office, emphasized the importance of creating a virtuous cycle where discovered ideas accumulate as intellectual property to generate new economic value.