SK Ecoplant is launching an open innovation contest to secure technologies it can deploy immediately in core future businesses, including artificial intelligence data centers.
The company said on the 7th that it will host the 2026 ConTech Meet-Up Day to pursue joint technology development and commercialization with startups and small and mid-sized enterprises. Now in its seventh year since its 2020 launch, the event draws 17 public, research and investment institutions as co-hosts, including the Innopolis Foundation, Hoseo University, the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, SK Securities (001510.KS), Synergy IB Investment and the Chungnam and Daejeon Centers for Creative Economy and Innovation.
The contest targets 22 technologies that can be applied directly to SK Ecoplant's business portfolio and construction sites. Key categories include AI data centers, off-site construction, design AI, procurement AI, construction AI, robotics and automation, and resource circulation and safety management.
In the AI data center category, the company is seeking technologies for power, cooling and design optimization, the core elements of data center operations. For off-site construction, it is looking for automation technologies covering module fabrication, logistics and installation. Other areas under review include drawing analysis and design review, algorithms for estimating appropriate construction unit prices and forecasting costs, on-site quality control and robotic process automation, site safety and eco-friendly resource circulation solutions.
Any startup or small and mid-sized enterprise with relevant technologies or solutions may apply. Applications are accepted online through a banner on SK Ecoplant's official website until the 30th of this month.
Winners will be selected through document screening and presentation reviews that assess innovation, potential for joint research and development, and applicability to actual sites and businesses. Selected companies will receive opportunities for joint R&D and technology commercialization with SK Ecoplant. R&D funding, investment opportunities and institutional awards through the 17 partner institutions are also planned.
SK Ecoplant has used its open innovation framework to build partnerships with promising small and mid-sized companies. It identified 31 companies through technology contests over the three years from 2023 to 2025 and completed a range of commercialization projects with them.
"Through this contest, we plan to identify innovative technologies that can be applied to major business areas including AI data centers," SK Ecoplant President Kim Young-sik said. "We will strengthen our future technological competitiveness through open innovation with a range of companies and institutions."
