When you want to adopt Korean technology or develop a product with a Korean company, finding an interesting technology is followed by another task: deciding whom to contact and what to verify. A list of technology titles and company names alone can make test evidence and the right contact difficult to trace.
Start with the role you need and record public information in a consistent format. The search sequence and record below are IRUMJAE’s practical recommendations. Assess each candidate’s fit and willingness to cooperate through evidence and direct confirmation.
Define your purpose and the partner role you need
Write one sentence describing the product or process problem you want to solve. Add the required function or performance, operating environment, current development stage and target timing. If a performance target is undecided, label it as such and list the conditions to establish first.
Separate the partner roles. For a technology owner, confirm the scope of what can be provided and the discussion contact. For a research partner, clarify further development and testing. For a manufacturer or supplier, clarify production and supply conditions. One organization may perform several roles, but a technology listing does not establish all of its capabilities.
Consider a hypothetical overseas manufacturer seeking to use low-grade heat discarded by a process. Does it need technology transfer and a field trial, or also a company to manufacture equipment? That choice changes the candidate search and the first questions. This is an illustrative scenario, not a real customer or selected technology.
Search official platforms and confirm the owning organization contact
The National Technology Bank, NTB, provides technology summaries and transfer or commercialization information.[1] Smart Tech-Bridge connects research, university and private technologies with SME demand.[2]
After finding a technology, check the institution’s official technology transfer information or the company’s official technology and product pages. WIPO describes technology transfer offices as helping move institutional research into industry.[3] Even when a researcher is named, separately confirm the department responsible for discussions and its authority concerning the technology.
A listing does not establish current transfer availability, performance or willingness to cooperate. Overseas companies should check the specific eligibility requirements for Korean support or financing programs. Follow the platform’s current guidance on available languages, search options and contact methods.
Search both the technology and the problem to solve
Organizations may describe similar technologies using different terms. For the hypothetical heat recovery project, try Korean keywords such as 폐열 회수, 저온 폐열 and 열교환 alongside waste heat recovery and low-grade waste heat. Vary the problem, function, material and application sector as well as the technology name.
| Search focus | Example keywords | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Problem | 저온 폐열 / low-grade waste heat | Whether the heat source and operating conditions match your process |
| Function | 폐열 회수 / waste heat recovery | The disclosed function and supporting test evidence |
| Technical element | 열교환 / heat exchange | Required components or materials and development stage |
If the table is wider than the screen, scroll horizontally to view it.
Record the keywords, official sites and search date. If a site offers filters for field, development stage or update date, record the filters used. When results are limited, try alternative terms or related technologies and describe the limited findings within the scope actually searched.
Create a public information record for each candidate
Use the same fields for every candidate to reveal evidence gaps and the next questions. Label empty fields as unconfirmed and distinguish descriptions in public material from information verified through actual testing.
| Record field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Candidate identity | Technology name, public identifier, owner and official organization URL |
| Your need and partner role | Problem, expected product application and required partner role |
| Sources and dates | Official URL for each item, publication or update date and collection date. Mark absent dates as not stated |
| Published evidence | Test material and its location, test conditions, prototype or demonstration stage and application environment |
| Evidence limits | Conditions unlike yours, missing material and information supported only by the organization’s description |
| Discussion contact | Official department and contact route, authority to discuss the technology and status of current willingness to cooperate |
| Support scope | Disclosed and unconfirmed scope for further development, field testing, production and training |
| Next action | Question, requested material or test, responsible person and target confirmation date |
If the table is wider than the screen, scroll horizontally to view it.
When a technology appears on several platforms, compare the owner and public identifiers and connect the sources in one candidate record. If its identity is uncertain, keep separate records and ask the owner to confirm. Consolidate records on the basis of the technology being discussed.
In the hypothetical project, a reference to “prototype testing” without temperature, heat source or operating duration provides insufficient grounds to claim suitability for your process. Record that the organization reports prototype testing and request the conditions. This example supplies no actual performance figures.
Ask about current availability and evidence in the first inquiry
Send a public summary of your need and the official URL or identifier of the technology. An inquiry such as the following helps the recipient understand the proposed discussion and the information needed.
Example first inquiry
We are [company] in [country], exploring technology to address [problem] in [product or process]. Could you confirm whether the technology described at [URL or identifier] is currently available for discussion? We would like to understand the publicly shareable test evidence and conditions, the responsible department and its authority, support for further development, field testing or production, and the next verification steps. Our target timing is [date], and our budget is [range or undecided].
Keep unanswered questions marked as unconfirmed. Before requesting unpublished drawings or detailed process information, agree on the scope, recipients and transfer method, together with any necessary confidentiality arrangements. This guide does not assess the legal effect of contract provisions.
Turn the candidate list into verification tasks
Separate findings into evidence-confirmed facts, statements from the owner and unconfirmed items. For each gap, assign a question, required material or test, a person to establish the likely cost and a target date. Retain reasons for revisiting candidates after further evidence or setting them aside because they do not fit the current need.
The candidate records then support comparison of performance, adoption costs and operating conditions. Specialist assessment of individual rights, freedom to operate and contract terms should be undertaken separately within an agreed scope by a patent firm or other appropriate adviser chosen by the customer.
Contact IRUMJAE about a candidate search
Tell us your company and country, adoption or joint development purpose, required partner role, a public summary of your technology need, target timing and budget range or undecided status. IRUMJAE checks the fit of the work and supports public information research, candidate records and commercialization preparation within the agreed scope.
Sources and review date
Official sources reviewed on 14 October 2026, Korea time. The search workflow and record are IRUMJAE recommendations and do not guarantee availability or program eligibility.
[1] KIAT information on the National Technology Bank