The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea and Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) held the second Korea-Spain Industrial Technology Cooperation Joint Committee (“Joint Committee”) meeting today in Madrid.

Since 2015, the two countries have engaged in bilateral technology cooperation through the Eureka Network, the world’s largest R&D platform in which 48 countries around the world are participating. Under the aim to expand the scope and scale of bilateral cooperation, they established a joint R&D program in 2023 for medium to large-sized projects in line with their respective industrial strategies, funding a combined KRW 25.6 billion to joint R&D projects in areas like mobility and renewable energy.

At today’s Joint Committee meeting, both sides shared the view that artificial intelligence (AI), advanced materials, and semiconductors serve as critical elements across all industries. Accordingly, they selected AI and semiconductors as main technology collaboration areas for 2025 and advanced materials and nanomaterials as those for 2026 with plans to fund an estimated ₩27 billion in joint R&D.

It is anticipated that this technological cooperation among Korea and Spain’s academia, industries, and research institutes will create opportunities for both countries to swiftly apply innovative technologies in various sectors to further enhance their industrial competitiveness.

Following the Joint Committee, the two sides plan to continue their bilateral technological exchanges through the Korea Eureka Day slated for April in Germany this year to actively support promising joint projects.