Display Industry Welcomes Feasibility Approval for National Research Platform: "Expect a Hub for Gaining an Early Lead in the Next-Gen Market"

2027-2033: KRW 278.9 billion in government funding
Establishing a hub to stay ahead of China
"Expected to serve as a hub for gaining an early foothold in the next-generation market"

South Korea's display industry welcomed the government's advanced display national research platform project after it passed a preliminary feasibility study.

In a statement on Nov. 6, the Korea Display Industry Association said, "Our industry warmly welcomes the final passage of the preliminary feasibility study for the advanced display national research platform project at yesterday's National R&D Project Evaluation Committee meeting. We expect the project to provide an opportunity to strengthen South Korea's technological lead in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and gain an early foothold in the next-generation display market."

Lee Cheong, chairman of the Korea Display Industry Association and president of Samsung Display, delivers welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony of “K-Display 2025” at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, on Aug. 7, 2025. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the project will run for seven years, from next year through 2033. It has a total budget of KRW 368.87 billion, including KRW 278.9 billion in government funding. The project will develop core technologies for next-generation displays and establish open, end-to-end research infrastructure capable of supporting resolutions of up to 10,000 pixels per inch (ppi).

As of last year, South Korea ranked first in the global OLED market, with a 68.7% share. However, competitors are rapidly narrowing the technology gap, led by China, which accounts for more than half of the overall display market. Developing next-generation technologies to stay ahead of these competitors is too challenging and risky an investment for private companies to undertake alone, prompting ongoing calls for research infrastructure to support such efforts.

The association said, "Domestic display R&D has supported the industry's competitiveness through the development of core component technologies and demonstration infrastructure for materials, parts and equipment. However, there has been no facility capable of conducting integrated, end-to-end verification from panel design through modules. We expect the Advanced Display Research Institute to be established through this project to serve as a stepping stone toward becoming a global leader in displays with an unrivaled technological edge, and as a hub for bringing together the research capabilities of industry, academia and research institutions."

The association plans to serve as a channel for communication among industry, academia, research institutions and government to ensure that companies' actual needs are fully reflected as the project moves forward. It also plans to provide ongoing support so that domestic companies, including small and midsize enterprises, can actively use the infrastructure established through the project.

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