Why Korea?

Korean car manufacturers currently offer electric cars with some of the most efficient drives on the market. Their success is based not only on modern design, but above all on robust battery systems developed on the domestic market. For Czechia, whose economy is strongly linked to the automotive industry, inspiration from this model is key – not only from the perspective of technological development, but also to ensure competitiveness at a time when the European market is rapidly transitioning to electromobility.

Mission focused on knowledge and networking

From October 20 to 24, 2025, the Czech Battery Cluster (ČBK) conducted an inspirational mission to South Korea. The event was carried out as part of the PROPED economic diplomacy project with the support of the Czech Embassy in Seoul and the Korean agency KEIT (Korea Institute for Industrial Technology Planning and Evaluation). The delegation, composed of representatives from Brno University of Technology, the University of Pardubice, the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the companies Stellar Exploration and Tiyo a.s., attended a series of professional meetings and excursions.

The program included visits to prestigious universities (Korea University, Seoul National University, Chung Ang University) and research institutions (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, and Korea Electronics Technology Institute). The delegation also met with industry players – battery cell manufacturers RouteJade and UBATT, recycling specialists SungEel HiTech, and Posco International.

The most significant formal outcome of the mission was the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Czech Banking Association, Daejeon Technology Institute (DTI), and Daejeon Battery Industry Association (DBIA). Daejeon, known as the “Korean Silicon Valley,” is a partner city of Brno and offers opportunities for future joint projects. However, this is still only a framework document – specific research activities will be the subject of further negotiations.

Significance for Czech entities

The mission confirmed that Czech scientific and industrial institutions have competencies that are worth developing. Although Czech industry has not yet reached the level of Korean partnerships between companies and universities, the openness of the Korean side to cooperation may be the first step towards deeper interconnection. The Czech Embassy in Seoul will continue to support these activities and inform Czech entities about opportunities on the Korean market. According to information from the Czech Bank, further events are being prepared in cooperation with the CzechInvest agency, which should help to transform the contacts made into specific projects.

Vardan Khachatryan, economic diplomat, Czech Embassy in Seoul