Programs

Programs

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Technical R&D support projects

Innovative science and technology centers and programs (public invitation projects) (2020 and on)

The Circle Foundation aims to improve the quality of life by supporting research and development organizations (innovative science and technology) that are striving to develop solutions for challenges around the world. It started its first public invitation project in 2020 and provided 1.2 billion won to a total of six institutions in the energy, environment, ecosystem, and public health sectors. In 2021, a total of two institutions will be selected in the field of cybersecurity to be provided 330 million won. Extended support is available for up to three years for the eligible organizations in 2020, which is determined through annual year-end evaluation.

O-Prize (2018)

O-Prize is an open innovation platform of The Circle Foundation that helps your ideas for solving social problems be realized. By discovering social problems, sharing ideas about them, and solving them through collaboration, O-Prize provides a place for good ideas dreaming of change in our society to be realized with useful technologies. Through the 2018 event, a total of 40 million won was awarded to a total of 16 teams that came up with ideas in areas such as information protection, fine dust, and free themes. For more information, visit the O-Prize website at https://www.o-prize.com:447/how-to.php.

2015 Fair Opportunity Idea Contest (2015)

In May 2015, the National Survey on the Perception of Inequality in Opportunities was conducted on 1,000 citizens to carry out the mission of The Circle Foundation: "Opportunities for Everyone." And as the first task to resolve opportunity inequality, we gathered ideas to solve "inequality in educational opportunities" through the 2015 Fair Opportunity Idea Contest. Regardless of age, region, or affiliation, a total of 466 ideas were gathered from all over the country as a result of freely contesting their ideas within 1,000 characters, and 100 of them were selected and awarded. Detailed results can be found on the foundation's website, "2015 Fair Opportunity Idea Contest Idea Book."

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Start-up support projects

TEU MED (Medical program of The Circle Foundation and TEU) (2021 and on)

TEU MED aims to contribute to the revitalization of the Korean medical health industry by cultivating the start-up mindset and entrepreneurship of medical students and the interested parties. Participants selected for this program will develop their medical challenges through innovative science and technology lectures, startup toolkit learning, team projects, mentoring, field trips, and demo days for about nine weeks, and form teams to build actual business models. The first TEU MED course in 2021 was held in which a total of 43 participants formed 8 teams to pitch ideas for starting medical science innovation and businesses, and a total of 3 teams were selected as excellent ones. This program was conducted by sponsoring the project cost to Tide Institute, the operating agency.

* Tide Institute, the operating agency of TEU MED, is an organization that plans and operates innovative education sessions and programs that foster talented people who will change the world with future-oriented innovation platforms and operates a program called TIDE Envision University (TEU).

Local Challenge Project (2013~2018)

The Local Challenge Project supports companies that want to solve problems and pending issues in the community as businesses with entrepreneurship. It is a project to grow "good" companies in the local area that want to contribute to improving the quality of life in the region and revitalizing the local economy. We select local companies that are struggling in the process of entering the growth stage after starting a business, diagnose problems, and seek solutions. It also supports programs to strengthen business capabilities (management/strategic mentoring, competence building education, PR strategy and implementation advice, design, attract investment in target funds, and market entry support) so that each company can stand on its own. A total of 103 companies were supported from the first period in 2013 to the fifth period in 2018.

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Education support projects

AI education (2021 and on)

Various educational contents such as AI online education for teenagers who will lead Korea in the future and online live visits to information security-related companies are provided in the form of summer vacation special lectures. We expect the effect for teenagers to be able to acquire concepts and related technologies of AI in a pleasant and friendly environment, and directly or indirectly increase job understanding and interest in related fields through online tours of IT and information security-related companies.

Tricycle (2017)

It is a youth mentoring program that provides a fair starting line for education, laying the foundation for choosing a career path after high school through learning, emotional, and career mentoring support for teenagers. The idea of this project began with an idea from Yim Ji-hyeon at the 2015 Fair Opportunity Idea Contest: "Let's give educational opportunities by connecting retired teachers and underprivileged teenagers."

School for non-profit sector leaders (2014~2017)

The Circle Foundation has conducted 4 training sessions to foster talents who lead change and innovation in a rapidly changing society by developing the capabilities of next-generation leaders in the non-profit sector to discover and communicate issues in the public interest sector.

Public invitation project to find "ㄱ" (2013 and 2014).

The "ㄱ" we want to find is "possibility (가능성), opportunity (기회), entrepreneurship (기업가 정신), and dream (꿈). We have supported the research, development, and implementation of programs that help teenagers (middle and high school students) find "work" and "jobs" they want to do.

Research projects (2015 and on)

We have conducted various thematic studies to achieve the Foundation's mission and vision with an impact and to understand in-depth social problems to solve. Based on the research results, we have increased public interest by calling social attention and contributed to the process of making changes for the better in our society by connecting opinion leaders from all walks of life.

Other projects

Open Challenge Lab (ended)
The Circle Foundation's space is shared, and members who use it conduct activities to share their contents based on that space. We want to share various content and talent, and to spread the value of sharing that users who use content can practice another sharing. *This project has ended because the foundation secretariat has moved to the shared office.