KORIL-RDF

What KORIL-RDF does

KORIL-RDF (Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation) is a bilateral non-profit foundation jointly established in May 2001 by Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry & Resource (MOTIR) and Israel's Innovation Authority (IIA), operating under an intergovernmental agreement signed November 25, 1998. The foundation's core function is to disburse grants funding joint industrial R&D projects between Korean and Israeli companies across strategic sectors including IT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, new materials, environmental technology, and aerospace. It operates four distinct funding programs spanning the technology readiness spectrum: Feasibility Study (up to USD 50K, TRL 3-4), KORIL R&D (up to USD 2M, TRL 4-6), Pilot Program (up to USD 1M, TRL 6-8), and Lighthouse Program (up to USD 3M, TRL 3/4-7/8, industry-academia consortia).

The foundation runs a proposal-based go-to-market motion: applicants submit joint R&D proposals simultaneously to the Korea office and the Israel Innovation Authority portal, followed by board evaluation. Outreach is conducted through the foundation website, MOTIR/IIA government channels, technical webinars, industry conferences, and a 22-edition newsletter series. Complementary platform infrastructure includes the KORIL Marketplace for partner matching and a Company DB providing Korean and Israeli company directories. As of February 2024, KORIL-RDF had supported 206 approved projects across 45 Board of Directors meetings, with documented outcomes including 70x export growth for one digital health grantee, 42% productivity gains in a UV curable silicone project, and 40% weight reduction in a precision positioning stage project.

Financially, KORIL-RDF is funded exclusively by annual government contributions from Korea and Israel, with each country currently contributing USD 4 million (USD 8 million total as of 2022). Grants are subject to repayment up to the disbursed amount if commercialization revenues result, creating a quasi-recovery mechanism on top of the grant base. The foundation operates with approximately 15 staff across its Goyang-si headquarters (registered principal office) and Jerusalem Israel office, governed by an 8-member Board of Directors split evenly between the two countries.

Name

KORIL-RDF

Legal name

Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation

Website

https://koril.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KORIL-RDF is a bilateral Korea-Israel government foundation that funds joint industrial R&D projects between companies in both countries, offering grants from USD 50K feasibility studies up to USD 3M strategic-sector Lighthouse Program projects across IT, biotech, nanotech, materials, and aerospace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bilateral R&D Funding Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Bilateral Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (BPADACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Development Finance & Blended Finance Facilities (BPADAOAD), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Bilateral industrial R&D funding
• Joint Korea-Israel R&D grants
• Government-backed innovation funding
• Cross-border R&D facilitation
• Bilateral technology partnership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Goyang-si

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government R&D Grants: KORIL-RDF receives annual contributions from both the Korean and Israeli governments (USD 4 million each per year, totaling USD 8 million annually as of 2022). These funds are used to award grants to joint Korea-Israel R&D projects. The grants are subject to re-payment up to the total amount disbursed when commercial revenues result from project outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KORIL-RDF is a bilateral government-backed foundation that provides repayable R&D grants to joint Korea-Israel industrial research and development projects, alongside partner matching services. It funds projects in strategic technology sectors (IT, BT, NT, new materials, ET, aerospace) across four programs ranging from feasibility studies (up to USD 50,000) to large strategic lighthouse projects (up to USD 3 million). The foundation operates complementary online platforms (KORIL Marketplace and Company DB) to connect Korean and Israeli companies for bilateral collaboration.

Product overview

KORIL-RDF is a bilateral Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation that operates as a unified funding platform offering four distinct grant programs: Feasibility Study (early-stage studies up to USD 50K), KORIL R&D Program (core R&D projects up to USD 2M), Pilot Program (pilot-scale projects up to USD 1M), and Lighthouse Program (strategic sector projects up to USD 3M). The platform is complemented by a KORIL Marketplace for partner matching, a Company DB for identifying potential collaborators, and a Proposal Submission System for joint R&D applications. These offerings work together to facilitate technology cooperation between Korean and Israeli companies across sectors including IT, BT, NT, New Materials, ET, and Aerospace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KORIL R&D Program Core bilateral R&D funding program supporting joint Korea-Israel industrial research and development projects with grants up to USD 2 million (30-50% of total budget), project duration up to 2 years, and TRL coverage from 4-6. Open to Korean and Israeli companies seeking bilateral technology collaboration across IT, BT, NT, new materials, ET, and aerospace sectors (excluding defense). Targeted at selected sectors decided by the Board of Directors.
• KORIL Pilot Program Bilateral funding program for pilot-scale joint R&D projects between Korean and Israeli companies, with grants up to USD 1 million (30-50% of total budget), project duration up to 1 year, and TRL coverage from 6-8. Designed for selected sectors and projects progressing from initial R&D toward commercialization.
• Feasibility Study Early-stage bilateral funding program for feasibility studies on potential Korea-Israel joint R&D collaborations, with grants up to USD 50,000 (50% of total budget), project duration up to 6 months, and TRL coverage from 3-4. Open to all sectors except defense, this program supports initial exploration of partnership viability.
• Lighthouse Program Strategic sector-focused bilateral R&D program combining 2-3 industry companies and 2-3 research institutions/academia from each country to deliver significant breakthroughs in targeted strategic sub-segments. Grants up to USD 3 million (30-50% of total budget), project duration up to 3 years, and TRL coverage from 3/4 to 7/8.
• KORIL Marketplace Online partner matching platform that connects Korean and Israeli companies seeking joint R&D collaborations, providing search and discovery of potential bilateral partners.
• Company DB Bilateral partner database providing Korea Directory and Israel Directory listings of companies seeking collaboration, with access to company information and technology listings for applicant use.
• Proposal Submission System Online portal for submitting joint Korea-Israel R&D proposals, accepting Korean company submissions and requiring simultaneous submission to the Israel Innovation Authority portal for Israeli partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 206 Korea-Israel joint R&D projects approved and supported as of 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Korea Ministry of Trade, Industry & Resource (MOTIR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 1998MOTIR is one of the two Cooperating Authorities responsible for implementing the bilateral agreement on R&D cooperation with Israel. It contributes USD 4 million annually to KORIL-RDF and provides oversight and policy direction.
• Israel Innovation Authority (IIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 1998IIA is the Israeli Cooperating Authority for bilateral R&D cooperation with Korea. It contributes USD 4 million annually to KORIL-RDF, manages Israeli application submissions through its portal, and provides operational support through its Israel office.
• Elbit SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsraeli defense and communications company that has participated in KORIL-RDF funded joint R&D projects with Korean partners.
• WisenutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorean NLP and search technology company that partnered with Israeli Basis Technology on multilingual NLP for financial knowledge graphs through KORIL-RDF funding.
• Woosh Water SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsraeli water technology company partnered with Korean Corners on IoT-based water intelligence delivery system. Project won CES 2020 Innovation Award.
• GlucoMeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsraeli digital health company that partnered with Korean AllMedicus on mobile blood glucose monitoring technology, achieving 70x export growth post-project.
• LG ElectronicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorean electronics giant participating in KORIL-RDF joint R&D collaborations with Israeli technology partners.
• Hyundai WIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorean manufacturing and machinery company engaged in bilateral R&D projects through KORIL-RDF.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EUREKA Network: EUREKA is an intergovernmental multilateral framework for market-driven, close-to-market industrial R&D projects across 40+ countries. Same core activity — cross-border R&D project facilitation and funding — but multilateral rather than bilateral.
• Israel–Germany Industrial R&D Foundation (IGRD): IGRD funds joint Israel–Germany industrial R&D with a similar bilateral grant model, repayment on commercialization, and government sponsorship. Directly comparable peer alongside BIRD and KORIL-RDF in the family of bilateral industrial R&D funds.
• Eurostars (EUREKA / EUREKA cluster programme): Eurostars is a multilateral funding instrument specifically targeting R&D-performing SMEs in joint cross-country projects, funded by national budgets and managed centrally. Highly comparable in mechanism (multi-tier programs, capped grants, project review) and target applicant profile to KORIL-RDF's SME/mid-cap participants.
• BIRD Foundation (Israel-US Binational Industrial R&D Foundation): BIRD is the structural template for KORIL-RDF: a government-backed bilateral industrial R&D foundation funding joint projects between companies in two countries (Israel and the US), with similar conditional-grant, milestone-based, and commercialization-repayment mechanisms. Closest comparable business model and governance.

Regional players

• NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Japan): NEDO is Japan's government-backed R&D funding agency supporting industrial R&D and international cooperation with industry partners. Comparable as a sovereign R&D-finance body, though funded from a single national budget rather than two-country contributions.
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Fraunhofer is a leading applied-research organization conducting contract R&D for industry across Europe, often through industry-academia consortia. Comparable on industry-academia collaboration model (Lighthouse Program analog), though it operates primarily as a research provider rather than a grantmaking foundation.
• CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial, Spain): CDTI is Spain's national innovation agency funding industrial R&D and international collaborative projects (including EUREKA and bilateral programs). Comparable as a public innovation-finance body focused on cross-border industrial R&D, though geographically focused on Europe rather than Korea/Israel.

Others

• MATIMOP/ISERD (Israel R&D Directorate): MATIMOP/ISERD coordinates Israel's participation in multilateral R&D frameworks (EUREKA, Eurostars, Horizon) and manages bilateral programs. It is the operational counterpart to KORIL-RDF on the Israeli side in similar bilateral/multilateral frameworks.
• Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resource (MOTIR) / KOTRA: MOTIR is one of KORIL-RDF's two founding Cooperating Authorities and the parent on the Korean side; KOTRA is the MOTIR-affiliated trade and investment promotion agency. They are not direct competitors — KORIL-RDF operates under their oversight — but represent the broader Korean government ecosystem for industrial and innovation financing.

Broad incumbents

• Israel Innovation Authority (IIA): IIA is one of KORIL-RDF's two founding Cooperating Authorities; it funds Israeli industrial R&D through the Israel–Korea bilateral as well as broader domestic grant programs. Comparable as a government innovation-finance vehicle, though broader in scope than the bilateral KORIL mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koril-rdf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about KORIL-RDF