Helping Bring Clinical Ideas to Market: 'MEeT 2026' Concludes Successfully

About 300 Medical Professionals and Researchers Attend

Stanford SPARK and Physician-Entrepreneur Experiences Shared

Roundtables and Consulting Sessions Also Held

Ilsong Educational Foundation announced on the 17th that the medical technology commercialization conference ‘MEeT 2026,’ which bridges ideas from the clinical field to technology and business, successfully wrapped up on the 10th at The Platz, COEX in Seoul.

The event was co-hosted by Ilsong Educational Foundation, the Korea Convention Exhibition Industry Institute, and izpmp, and supported by Korea Investment Partners and the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO). It brought together about 300 participants, including medical professionals, researchers, hospital and medical school representatives, technology companies, investors, and experts in medical technology commercialization.

At the medical technology commercialization conference 'MEeT 2026' held on the 10th at The Platz, COEX, Seoul, attendees are participating in a roundtable event. Ilsong Educational Foundation

At the conference, the operational experience of the global medical technology commercialization program Stanford SPARK and case studies from domestic physician-entrepreneurs were introduced. Professor Kevin Grimes, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and co-director of the Stanford SPARK program, delivered a keynote lecture and participated in a panel discussion, presenting SPARK’s approach of evaluating intellectual property rights, regulations, market, business model, and investment potential from the early stages based on unmet needs in the medical field. Ji-won Kim, deputy director of SPARK, also discussed strategies for medical technology commercialization and collaboration with Korean medical professionals, researchers, and company representatives.

A discussion session featuring physician-entrepreneurs was also held. Donhaeng Lee, CEO of NextBioMedical; Gwangjun Kim, CEO of AITRICS; Seongji Kang, CEO of Welt; and Sunghoon Kim, CEO of Signal House, shared their motivations for starting businesses, experiences in technology development, and the trial-and-error as well as key decision moments encountered during commercialization.

The practical sessions covered key issues in medical technology commercialization, including venture studios and physician-led startups, AI and quantum technology-based precision medicine, surgical robots and physical AI, global clinical trials and regulatory approval, minimum viable product (MVP) development, startup management, and venture capital (VC) investment.

Twelve roundtables were organized, where participants could ask speakers questions directly and discuss their concerns about commercialization. Each table focused on topics not covered in lectures and delved into specific challenges encountered in individual commercialization journeys, with Q&A sessions continuing throughout.

Business consulting sessions were also held, where participants received one-on-one consultations with experts in regulation, investment, and commercialization strategies. Through a total of 11 consulting sessions, key factors necessary for the commercialization of hospital technologies—such as the hospital decision-making structure, adoption barriers, approaches to market entry, and revenue models—were reviewed. The organizers plan to facilitate follow-up meetings between relevant companies and experts even after the consulting sessions.

Eunju Yoon, president of the Korea Convention Exhibition Industry Institute, commented, “Medical technology commercialization cannot be achieved through research or technology alone; it requires connecting those who understand the clinical setting, companies that realize the technology, and experts focused on commercialization and investment. Through the first MEeT, we identified strong demand for sharing real-world challenges and creating opportunities for direct dialogue with experts.” She added, “We aim to develop MEeT into a medical technology commercialization network where essential people and experiences are brought together so that ideas from the field can lead to actual businesses and market opportunities.”

'MEeT 2027' is scheduled to take place in June 2027 at The Platz, COEX. The organizers plan to design the program reflecting this year’s participant feedback and on-site needs, and to expand opportunities for direct interaction between participants and experts, such as roundtables and business consulting sessions.

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