Korea Institute of Science and Technology

Name

Korea Institute of Science and Technology

Legal name

Korea Institute of Science and Technology

Website

https://kist.re.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research & Development

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Networking & Data Center Silicon (Switch/NIC/DPU/SerDes) (HDAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wafer Services & Reclaim (Epitaxy, Thinning, Reclaim) (HDAHACAH), Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN) (HLAGAJAB)

Keywords

• Government research institute
• Technology transfer licensing
• Mission-oriented R&D
• Applied scientific research
• National strategic technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government research funding: KIST operates as a government-funded research institute (政府출연연구기관) receiving core operational and project funding from the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, with additional support from other government ministries for specific research programs.
2. Technology transfer and licensing: Revenue generated from licensing proprietary technologies and know-how developed at KIST to industrial partners and commercial enterprises.
3. Research consignment services: Fee-for-service research performed for external clients including government agencies, corporations, and international partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

KIST is a government-funded research institute that conducts mission-oriented R&D across nine core technology domains: next-generation semiconductors (including quantum), AI and robotics, climate and environment, clean hydrogen, brain science, biomedical research, advanced materials, and sustainable energy. It transfers proprietary technologies to industry via licensing, conducts fee-for-service research consignment for external clients, runs KIST School graduate programs with UST, and supports startup creation through the Hongneung Startup Special Zone.

Product overview

KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology) is a government-funded research institute established in 1966, not a commercial product company. It operates multiple mission-oriented research institutes covering next-generation semiconductors (including quantum technology), AI and robotics, climate and environmental research, clean hydrogen, brain science, biomedical research, advanced materials, and sustainable energy. KIST's research activities are organized into specialized institutes and divisions including the Post-Silicon Semiconductor Institute, AI and Robotics Institute, Climate and Environmental Research Institute, Clean Hydrogen Institute, Brain Science Institute, Biomedical Research Division, Advanced Materials and Systems Research Division, and Sustainable Energy Research Division. The institute also operates KIST School in partnership with UST for graduate education and has branch institutes in Gangneung (natural products) and Jeonbuk (composite materials), plus KIST Europe. Technologies developed at KIST include AI safety platforms (CTScan), drug development tools (NPI-finder), and next-generation fuel cell systems, some of which are showcased through startups and at events like CES.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Consignment Services (연구위탁) Fee-for-service research conducted for external clients including government agencies, corporations, and international partners on agreed R&D topics under commissioned agreements.
• Technology Transfer and Licensing (기술이전) Licensing of proprietary technologies, patents, and know-how developed at KIST to industrial partners and commercial enterprises for commercialization and production.
• KIST School (UST) Graduate Program Graduate education program operated jointly with the University of Science and Technology (UST), offering master's and doctoral programs through industry-academia cooperation for science and engineering researchers.
• KIST Startup Incubation Program (Hongneung Startup Special Zone) Startup incubation and support programs that commercialize KIST research outcomes through new company creation, including support for spinoff companies such as Aidall and Phytoworks that showcase products at international exhibitions.
• CTScan AI Safety Platform AI-powered urban safety platform for real-time CCTV hazard detection, developed by KIST and showcased at CES 2026.
• NPI-finder Drug Development Platform Drug development platform developed by KIST and showcased at CES 2026 to support pharmaceutical research workflows.
• Next-Generation Isopropanol-based Fuel Cell System Next-generation fuel cell system using isopropanol as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier, developed by KIST and showcased at CES 2026.
• Bedivere Robot (Aidall startup) Robot developed by KIST startup Aidall, which previously won a CES Innovation Award, and was showcased at CES 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ultra-thin shielding material blocks 99.999% of electromagnetic waves and 72% of neutron radiation
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eco Hopia Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Eco Hopia Co., Ltd. partnered with Song Gia Investment and Development Cooperative and KIST under the KOICA IBS project to promote circular agriculture and environmental treatment in Hai Phong, Vietnam. KIST provides advanced Korean bioenergy technologies for large-scale organic waste processing and circular economy development.
• Song Gia Investment and Development CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Vietnamese partner in the KOICA IBS project for circular agriculture and environmental treatment in Hai Phong. The partnership addresses Hai Phong's daily generation of approximately 3,300 tonnes of waste (70-80% organic) and aims to transfer Korean bioenergy technologies.
• LG ElectronicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026LG Electronics is leading development of advanced robot platforms for mass-producible humanoid models as part of Korea's 'K-Moonshot' initiative led by KIST, with government investment of 50.4 billion KRW through 2030.
• WIRoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026WIRobotics, a wearable robot startup, is developing mass-producible humanoid robot platforms under the K-Moonshot initiative led by KIST, targeting hospitals and nursing facilities.
• LG AI ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026LG AI Research is developing AI models enabling humanoid robots to understand visual, physical, verbal, and behavioral information under the K-Moonshot initiative led by KIST.
• LG Energy SolutioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026LG Energy Solution is supplying solid-state batteries for AI humanoid robots developed under the K-Moonshot initiative led by KIST, to be tested in hospitals and nursing facilities.
• IBMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026KIST led a delegation of five Korean quantum startups (QUAD, OptiQ-Labs, SLEEX, Elixir, SQK) to IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center for direct technical exchanges with IBM quantum researchers on IBM Quantum System Two architecture. The collaboration is part of South Korea's DIPS program supporting quantum startup commercialization, with follow-up 'IBM Quantum Connect APAC: Seoul' event planned.
• University of SeoulminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026KIST's Clean Hydrogen Institute and University of Seoul's College of Engineering signed MOU for joint research in hydrogen convergence technology and talent development, with plans to expand collaboration to AI, semiconductors, and quantum fields.
• SelectUSAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 May 2026KIST led quantum technology delegation to SelectUSA Investment Summit 2026 as part of Deeptech Incubator Project for Startups (DIPS) and Global Bridge Program developed with U.S. Embassy in Korea. One startup (OptiQ-Labs) was selected for official pitching from over 20,000 applicants, gaining access to U.S. state governments and investor networks.
• Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026KIST and SeoulTech signed MOU for research cooperation and talent development, focusing on quantum technology development including KIST's quantum chip fabrication facility 'Quantum Fab' and SeoulTech's planned quantum convergence physics department.
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026U.S. national laboratory participating with KIST-IAE research team in lithium-air battery catalyst development, enhancing research credibility and global competitiveness.
• Republic of Korea Marine CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026KIST and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps signed MOU for defense R&D cooperation, including joint planning of defense research projects, technology and information exchange, and future warfare capability building.
• IonQcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 March 2026KIST and IonQ (via KISTI) signed MOU at NVIDIA GTC 2026 to develop quantum-HPC hybrid technologies, integrating IonQ's trapped-ion quantum hardware with South Korea's national HPC infrastructure using NVIDIA's NVQLink platform. Partnership aims to advance applications in AI, logistics, chemistry, and materials science, and develop quantum talent across the Asia Pacific region.
• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or Integration · 16 March 2026Through the IonQ-KISTI partnership, NVIDIA's accelerated computing technology and NVQLink platform enable integration of quantum computers with GPU-based supercomputers for hybrid quantum-classical computing research.
• Neocannbio Co. Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIST and Neocannbio jointly identified compounds acting as nitric oxide production inhibitors with potential application in treating inflammatory bowel disease.
• Seoul National UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers from Seoul National University and KIST jointly developed a three-dimensional bipolar microneedle electrode array for improved electrical stimulation with enhanced spatial selectivity.
• Korea UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIST and Korea University jointly developed a biocompatible ultrasonic receiver for wireless power transfer that can power wearable or implantable medical devices.
• Institute for Advanced Engineering (IAE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIST and IAE jointly developed tungsten diselenide catalyst technology for lithium-air batteries, enabling over 550 stable charge-discharge cycles.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO): Australia's national science agency operating across similar applied science domains (energy, materials, health, climate) with comparable mission-oriented research institute model and government funding base.
• Max Planck Society: Germany's flagship basic research organization with comparable research quality, Nobel-laureate heritage, and government funding structure; relevant peer for understanding long-horizon research institute economics and talent model.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS): The world's largest research organization with comprehensive coverage across physical, life, and engineering sciences at a scale comparable to or larger than KIST; relevant benchmark for institutional R&D scale and government-funded deep-tech research output.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL): US Department of Energy national laboratory operating at multi-thousand-person scale across energy, materials, computing, and neutron science, directly comparable to KIST in operating large-scale shared research facilities for diverse user communities.

Direct peers

• RIKEN: Japan's premier government-funded multidisciplinary research institute, highly comparable to KIST in operating multiple large research centers covering physics, chemistry, biology, computing, and engineering with national strategic priority alignment.
• Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR): Singapore's lead public-sector R&D agency with comparable mission-oriented institute structure spanning biomedical, materials, and engineering sciences, and similar emphasis on industry partnership and commercialization.
• Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI): Korean government-funded IT and electronics research institute operating under a similar multi-program, mission-oriented R&D model as KIST, with comparable scale, structure under government ministries, and emphasis on technology transfer and commercialization.
• Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST): Korea's leading government-funded science and technology institution combining research and graduate education; closely comparable to KIST in mission scope, government funding base, and focus on strategic technology domains including AI, semiconductors, and energy.
• Fraunhofer Society: Europe's largest application-oriented research organization, structurally similar to KIST in operating numerous mission-aligned institutes, blending government funding with industry contracts, and emphasizing technology transfer to industrial partners.

Regional players

• Indian Institute of Science (IISc): India's premier government-funded research and graduate education institution with comparable deep-tech R&D focus in materials, energy, and computing; relevant regional peer for understanding Asian government R&D institute economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLJtuxDBeSpf-d3m6f_DKtA
• Facebookfacebook.com/kist1966
• Instagraminstagram.com/kist_pr
• Xx.com/kistpublic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments2 records

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Frequently asked questions about Korea Institute of Science and Technology