Daegu Universities' Startup Competition Awards Highlight Student Innovation

University teams from Daegu, South Korea, received top honors at the 2026 Regional University Alliance Daegu Startup Idea Competition held on the 1st at the Daegu Regional University Cooperation Center. The event, co‑hosted by the Ministry of Education, Daegu City, the National Research Foundation and the DRIVE university startup support consortium, featured nine participating universities.

Daegu Science University’s SparkUp team won the Grand Prize for a healthcare solution aimed at improving clinical workflow, while its LifeDream team earned a special award for a user‑friendly fire‑fighting device. Youngnam Institute of Technology secured both an Excellence Award for an electric‑vehicle fire‑prevention system and a Merit Award for the NARUNA collaborative workspace platform. University officials praised the students’ creativity and the practical focus of their projects.

The competition aims to uncover entrepreneurial ideas rooted in local resources and specialized industries, fostering a culture of youth‑led startups across the Daegu region.