Daejeon Metropolitan City announced on May 28 that KAIST's "Space Service and Manufacturing Research Center" was ultimately selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT's "2025 Basic Research Program Innovation Research Center (IRC)" open call. This selection solidifies Daejeon's position as a strategic core hub for South Korea's space industry.

The IRC program is a large-scale basic research initiative by the Ministry of Science and ICT, selecting one institution nationwide each year to intensively support for up to 10 years, aiming to cultivate world-class research hubs in national strategic technology fields.

Through the successful bid for this IRC, KAIST will establish the "Space Service and Manufacturing Research Center" and commence a mid- to long-term project worth a total of ₩59.5 billion, including ₩50 billion in national funding, over the next 10 years. Daejeon City plans to support the center with ₩500 million annually starting in 2026, totaling ₩4.5 billion, to strengthen ties with local space companies and facilitate the dissemination of research outcomes.

The newly established "Space Service and Manufacturing Research Center" will lead next-generation space technology fields, including:

Core technology development for constructing uncrewed space stations
Design and collaboration technologies for multi-robot systems
Demonstration of space material transport and retrieval
With a core objective of fostering a private-led space industry ecosystem, the center will build an industry-academia-research cooperation system and aim to leap forward as a global technology hub.

Participation in the center's operation will include five departments from KAIST, including the Department of Aerospace Engineering, and the Satellite Technology Research Center. Leading domestic space and defense companies such as Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Aerospace, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Satrec Initiative, and LIG Nex1 will also contribute to joint research. This is expected to serve as an exemplary model for industry-academia-research collaboration and a practical bridge for technology commercialization.

Furthermore, 88 space companies located in Daejeon will also participate as members, expecting to secure tangible industrial growth opportunities in areas such as technology transfer, commercialization, and global partnerships. Based on this, the city plans to complete the space industry ecosystem, advance the technology of local companies, strengthen their export competitiveness, and lead the co-growth of related industries as a whole.

Son Cheol-ung, Director-General of Daejeon City's Future Strategy Industries Bureau, stated, "Through close cooperation with KAIST, we will foster the Innovation Research Center as a Daejeon-type innovation platform for the space industry." He added, "We will actively support the global expansion of local companies and continue our generous support for the linked growth of forward and backward industries."

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