Member Article

South Korean innovation festival inspired by North East

A North East technology leader will be highlighting the region’s software successes during a keynote speech at a global Innovation Conference in South Korea this week.

David Dunn, Chief Executive of cluster development organisation Sunderland Software City, will be speaking at the Creative Economy Innovation Festival Conference in Daejeon, South Korea on Friday 28th August.

Addressing an audience of global tech cluster leaders, brand CEO’s and technology entrepreneurs David will discuss creating the right ecosystem of support and opportunities to nurture and grow a successful tech cluster in the North East of England and the steps taken by the Government to facilitate the tech industry in the UK.

The two-day conference, which will be attended by South Korean President Park Geun-hye, celebrates the launch of 18 new Korean Centers for Creative Economy and Innovation (CCEI) which aim to nurture the country’s ‘Creative Economy’ start-up ecosystem and strengthen links with tech clusters across the globe.

David Dunn said: “It is a huge honour to be asked to give the keynote speech at the Creative Economy Innovation Festival Conference to talk about how we’ve nurtured and grown the software sector in the North East of England.

“The fact that somewhere like South Korea, which has a long and established history of producing some of the biggest and most innovative tech brands in the world, is looking to the North East of England as a benchmark of success is huge testament to the fact that the region’s software sector is now recognised and respected on the global technology stage.”

As well as producing technology giants such as Samsung and LG, South Korea is also home to numerous high-tech complexes and accelerators such as Digital Media City and Teheran Valley in the capital Seoul producing high-growth start-ups driven by young technologists.

In May, the Digital Catapult, a national centre to rapidly advance the UK’s best digital ideas, announced a partnership with the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (G-CCEI) which provides support to growing SMEs based in Pangyo, South Korea.

Sunderland Software City will be working with the Digital Catapult to give UK SMEs an opportunity to work with partners and testbeds in South Korea. By connecting SMEs with temporary workspaces, business training and mentoring programs in both countries the partnership will help accelerate digital businesses in the UK and South Korea.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amy Watson .