Seongnam City Seeks to Attract 10.5 Billion Won '3D Food Printing Research Center'

Business Agreement with 10 Academia-Industry-Government Institutions
Application to the Ministry of Agriculture Contest as Early as October
Utilizing AI, Bio, and Food Industry Infrastructure
Building an Ecosystem for Research, Validation, and Commercialization

Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Shin Sangjin), has launched an initiative to attract the Food Tech Research Support Center, focusing on the 3D food printing sector, which is considered a future food industry.

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin is taking a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement with representatives from public institutions, universities, hospitals, and companies in the City Hall's first conference room on the 13th to ensure the smooth promotion of the Food Tech Research Support Center. Photo provided by Seongnam City.

On August 13, Seongnam City signed a business agreement with 10 institutions—including public agencies, universities, hospitals, and companies—at the City Hall's first conference room to establish the Food Tech Research Support Center.

The participating organizations included Seongnam Industrial Complex Management Corporation, Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency, Seongnam Food Tech Industry-Academia-Research Association, World Food Tech Council, Biomedical Research Institute at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, Food Tech Center of the Seoul National University Food-Bio Convergence Research Institute, AI and Software Division of Korea Testing and Research Institute, Gachon University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Hyundai Greenfood, and Top Table.

These organizations plan to jointly respond to the Food Tech Research Support Center contest hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, scheduled for the second half of this year. If the center is successfully established, each institution will collaborate by utilizing their technologies and facilities across 3D food printing research, validation, and commercialization.

The Food Tech Research Support Center project promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs aims to build research and validation infrastructure for the ten core Food Tech technologies. Each technology sector will receive a project budget of 10.5 billion won.

So far, seven sectors have been selected: ready meal manufacturing, smart manufacturing, cell-cultured foods, food customization, restaurant food tech, and food upcycling. In addition, three more fields—including 3D food printing, eco-friendly food packaging, and smart distribution—are expected to open for contest applications soon.

Seongnam City aims to secure the 3D Food Printing Research Support Center and plans to apply as early as October.

3D food printing is a technology that manufactures food ingredients into three-dimensional forms based on digital design. Since it enables the production of customized food tailored to an individual's health condition and nutritional needs, it can be widely applied in various fields such as food for seniors, patient-specific food, and care foods.

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin is delivering a greeting at the business agreement ceremony and mid-term service report meeting for the smooth promotion of the Food Tech Research Support Center held at City Hall Conference Room 1 on the 13th. Provided by Seongnam City

Seongnam City believes it has the necessary industrial base to attract the research support center, as Pangyo Techno Valley is densely populated with AI, ICT, and bio companies, while High-Tech Valley in Sangdaewon-dong hosts a cluster of food manufacturing and processing firms.

Seongnam City intends to establish a Food Tech industrial ecosystem where related companies can grow together by attracting the research support center and supporting research, validation, and commercialization of 3D food printing technologies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.