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Busan Metropolitan City to Host “Public Data and AI-Based Startup Competition”… Applications Open Until June 25

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Busan Metropolitan City (Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk) announced that it will host the “2026 Busan Metropolitan City Public Data and AI-Based Startup Competition” to discover innovative ideas and business models utilizing public data and artificial intelligence (AI).

This competition has been held annually since 2017 and serves as a regional preliminary round for the pan-government startup competition organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

This year’s competition will be conducted in two categories: idea planning and product/service development using public data and artificial intelligence (AI). Anyone possessing relevant ideas or products is eligible to participate.

In particular, this year will place greater emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), expanding beyond public data utilization to focus on evaluating participants’ capabilities in implementing AI-based services.

Applications can be submitted via email (eunae@btp.or.kr) from today (April 29) until June 25 at 18:00. Further details can be found in the official announcements on the Busan Metropolitan City website (www.busan.go.kr/nbgosi) or the Busan Techno Park website (www.btp.or.kr).

The City plans to select a total of 13 teams—8 for Busan Metropolitan City awards and 5 for sponsor awards—through document and presentation evaluations. The total prize money amounts to 18.5 million KRW.

The top 2 teams receiving the grand prize in each category of the Busan Metropolitan City awards will be granted qualification to participate in the integrated national finals hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. They will also receive mentoring support to enhance AI-centered business models, including strengthening the integration of AI technology with their ideas and services and advancing their startup strategies.

In addition, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to provide customized follow-up support by startup stage to the top 10 teams selected in the final round of champions.

Furthermore, starting this year, the Busan Tourism Organization has joined as a new sponsoring institution. Together with the Korea Student Aid Foundation, Busan Transportation Corporation, and Busan Metropolitan Corporation, a total of four institutions will sponsor the competition.

Meanwhile, the City is also making efforts to create a virtuous cycle in the regional startup ecosystem by promoting linkage support with the Busan Big Data Innovation Center and Busan Startup Investment Agency to assist participating teams in commercialization and growth into startups.

Kim Dong-hyun, Director General of the Future Technology Strategy Bureau, stated, “We hope that citizens with innovative ideas utilizing public data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will create new opportunities through this competition,” adding, “We will actively support startups based on public data and AI so that they can lead to actual commercialization.”