The Daegu PoC grant under Daegu Open Innovation is a Korea-focused support program for startups that already have a concrete collaboration topic with a lead corporate or public-sector partner. According to the K-Startup notice, applications are open from July 21, 2026 at 09:00 to August 7, 2026 at 16:00 Korea time.
This is not a broad idea competition. The notice asks applicants to bring a pre-discussed PoC project and a partner commitment letter. The K-Startup program notice lists support for about two companies, with KRW 15 million in PoC funding per company. Applications are submitted through the Daegu Startup Hub project page, and the operator is the Daegu Center for Creative Economy and Innovation.
Program snapshot: PoC funding tied to a lead partner
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Program | 2026 Daegu Startup Open Innovation bottom-up PoC program |
| Application window | July 21, 2026 09:00 ~ August 7, 2026 16:00 KST |
| Scale | Around 2 startups |
| Support | KRW 15 million PoC budget, consulting, networking, follow-on links |
| Application | Online submission via Daegu Startup Hub |
| Contact | AX Innovation Team, 053-759-6397, c-lab@ccei.kr |
For international readers, this is a Korean startup grant with local operating conditions. A company must either be based in Daegu or commit to moving its headquarters to Daegu within two months after the agreement.
Eligibility: Daegu location plus a real collaboration project
Applicants must satisfy three core conditions. First, the startup must have completed prior collaboration discussions with a lead company, mid-sized firm, SME, public company, or similar partner. Second, it must generally be within seven years of founding; startups in designated new-industry fields can be within ten years. Third, the company must be headquartered in Daegu or be able to relocate its headquarters there within two months after signing the program agreement.
For an AI startup Korea team, the strongest angle is not “we use AI” but “this partner can validate our model or platform in a real workflow.” Data platforms, SaaS tools, security products, and applied AI systems should describe the partner site, available data or environment, success metric, and expected business outcome.
Application strategy: the partner letter is the core asset
Required documents include the application form and business plan, personal information consent form, lead partner commitment letter, business registration certificate, national and local tax clearance certificates, 2025 financial statement certificate, and employee insurance list. Corporate applicants may need a recent corporate registry extract, and companies relocating to Daegu need a headquarters relocation commitment.
The process moves through eligibility screening, document review, presentation review, and an agreement expected around August. This bottom-up PoC program rewards applicants that can show project validity, technical capability, feasibility, and willingness to collaborate. A thin partner letter is risky; the application should show what the partner will provide, what will be tested, who owns each step, and what evidence will be produced by the end of the PoC.
Final checklist before applying
- Confirm that the partner can sign the commitment letter and support the proposed test environment.
- Check whether the headquarters requirement is already satisfied or whether relocation to Daegu is realistic.
- Tie the KRW 15 million budget to a specific PoC plan, not to general product development.
- Review tax, closure, debt-default, and participation-restriction conditions before submission.
- Prepare for a fast start, because the agreement is expected in August and the program is built around execution.
This K-Startup program is best suited to teams that have moved beyond sales exploration and can turn a partner conversation into a measurable field test.
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