As the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) marks its 100th day of establishment, an opportunity opens for all citizens to take part in the country’s economic and social development with their creative ideas. This government-operated initiative provides a platform to discover and develop creative ideas from all across society and connect them to real-world policies and business initiatives.

MOIP, led by Minister Kim Yong-sun, announced the official launch of the nationwide public engagement project “Everyone’s Ideas” in coordination with relevant government ministries and agencies, starting on January 8, 2026. The project creates a nationwide open innovation framework that enables all citizens to actively propose creative solutions and ideas and contribute to national growth.

Proposals selected as “outstanding ideas” will be awarded prize money—distributed from a prize pool of KRW 780 million—and will be placed on a “fast track” for development into concrete policies and projects. In addition, the top 10,000 outstanding ideas will receive regional cash vouchers and cultural gift certificates worth KRW 30,000.

Designed to bring together citizens, companies, and pan-governmental cooperation, this project will support the joint discovery of ideas that advance innovation in fields such as artificial intelligence, as well as novel ideas that address everyday challenges. Through this, citizens’ creative ideas and collective intelligence will lead industrial and policy innovation, positioning them as a driving force for Korea’s future and realizing Korea’s “True Growth*.”
*True Growth refers to the Korean Government’s strategy to emerge as one of the top three AI powers, a nation with 3% potential growth and a top five national power.

From January 8 to April 15, 2026, any citizen may submit their ideas through the “Everyone’s Ideas” website. Submissions are accepted under two categories: 1) designated topics, which invite participants to propose solutions to challenges presented by the government and participating companies, and 2) open topics, which allow ideas to be proposed freely without restrictions on themes or fields.

The designated topics are comprised of 10 challenges related to key current issues in industry and society, such as “Transforming Our Daily Lives with AI Agents,” proposed by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and “Promoting Workplace Safety Practices in Small-Scale Businesses,” proposed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (see Attachment 3 for details). Under the open topics category, participants may freely submit ideas related to government policy or to technology, products, and commercialization, without being limited to designated challenges.

In April, the first round of selection will be conducted through document screening by experts to select a total of 100 outstanding ideas. Selected ideas will advance to an idea advancement program aimed at further refining the proposals into feasible solutions that will run for approximately four months. The follow-on program will provide tailored support depending on the nature of each proposal, including expert consulting, idea scale-up, prototype development, technology verification, and patent filing. For policy proposals, public officials from the relevant ministries will also participate as mentors to enhance policy feasibility.

To encourage engagement, the government and participating companies have prepared prize money totaling KRW 780 million to be distributed among the winners—the largest amount ever offered for an idea competition hosted by a government ministry. For each of the 10 designated challenges, one Gold, Silver, and Bronze Prize winner will be selected, for a total of 30 winners. In the open topics category, five Gold, Silver, and Bronze Prize winners will be selected in each of the policy and technology fields, also totaling 30 winners.

Prize amounts are set at KRW 10 million for Gold, KRW 5 million for Silver, and KRW 3 million for Bronze. Among the Gold Prize recipients, the top three winners will receive additional awards, with the overall first-place winner eligible for up to KRW 100 million. In addition, the top 10,000 outstanding ideas will receive regional cash vouchers and cultural gift certificates worth KRW 30,000.

Rather than stopping as a one-time event of good idea discovery, the project is structured to provide continued and comprehensive support to award-winning ideas. Facilitated by inter-ministerial cooperation, support will extend to the execution stage, including startup assistance, follow-up commercialization research and development (R&D), intellectual property transactions, and incorporation into policies and institutional frameworks.

MOIP Minister KIM Yong-sun stated that “A single brilliant idea from a citizen can become a policy that improves everyday life for all, grow the industry of tomorrow and create new jobs.” He emphasized, “By launching this project on the 100th day of the MOIP’s establishment, we mark a new milestone for a nationwide open innovation ecosystem in which citizens, companies, and government work together to achieve shared growth through creative ideas.”

Source: https://www.kipo.go.kr/en/engBultnDetail.do?board_id=kiponews&cp=1&pg=1&npp=10&catmenu=ek06_01_01&seq=1820