Dongguk University has been selected as Korea’s best university for startup support in 2019. The best universities for startups are selected by the Maeil Business Newspaper after evaluating the entrepreneurship support activities of Korean universities; the aim is to help build a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in universities.

Dongguk has been ranked first in the category of startup support after being assessed on its entrepreneurship-related courses, budget for startups, and startup support for the public, among other items.

Dongguk is playing a leading role in: actively supporting startups; spreading an entrepreneurial culture; and finding and nurturing young entrepreneurs. In particular, the university tries to discover and support entrepreneurship clubs on campus to foster student-led startups. The entrepreneurship clubs are offered seed money and space—the first steps in building a startup—for turning their ideas into a business. Further, a responsible mentoring system is available for aspiring entrepreneurs to get practical advice from a team of mentors that includes experts in management, technology, marketing, and taxation, as well as the university’s faculty members.

Prof. Dae-Young Kim, Head of Special, Technical, Entrepreneurial People of Dongguk (STEP) said, “Because of its acclaimed facilities for startup support, Dongguk University has been selected for state-funded projects sponsored by Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups; this includes selection for the Startup-Leading University project for nine consecutive years since 2011.” He added, “We will discover and nurture excellent startups by drawing on years of experience and know-how in startup support and lead the efforts to spread entrepreneurial culture to local communities beyond our campus.”