Incheon CCEI, German Evonik Global Bio-Cosmetics Innovation Partnership Event

**A Wave of Global Partnerships: Evonik's 'OpenWave' Paves the Way for Korean Bio & Cosmetics Companies on the World Stage!** A new chapter of global cooperation unfolded in Samseong-dong, Seoul. On the 2nd, Incheon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (ICCEI) successfully hosted the 'OpenWave Meetup Day' for promising domestic companies in the bio and cosmetics sectors, in collaboration with German specialty chemicals company Evonik, creating a wave of opportunities to expand worldwide. Since setting foot in the Korean market in 1985, Evonik, a leader in various chemical industries, has recently expanded its horizons into new business areas such as biopharmaceuticals and cosmetics, strongly hoping for co-growth with innovative domestic companies. This event was a key part of Evonik's global open innovation program 'OpenWave,' and ICCEI closely cooperated with relevant organizations such as KOTRA to discover potential domestic companies. Thirty selected companies, following rigorous prior review, materialized concrete cooperation plans through in-depth 1:1 business meetings with Evonik representatives. Notably, during the seminar, Evonik's sought-after technology cooperation areas were disclosed, followed by four domestic companies passionately pitching their innovative technologies, capturing Evonik's attention. Evonik expressed lavish praise for the unique technological prowess and future-oriented business models of the pitching companies, promising immediate follow-up discussions for cooperation. Lee Han-sub, CEO of ICCEI, commented, "This meetup day was a very meaningful platform for exchange where a global leading company met domestic innovative companies," and emphasized, "ICCEI will continue to serve as a reliable bridge, enabling domestic startups and SMEs to leap onto the global stage and successfully attract foreign investment and achieve technology cooperation."