Namseoul University Wins Top Prize at National University Anchor Competition

Namseoul University has been awarded the top prize at the 'Small Business × Local University Anchor Collaboration Challenge,' organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea. The university received the prestigious Small Business Market Promotion Corporation Chairman's Award for its efforts in revitalizing local businesses and traditional markets.

Lee Ju-yeol, head of the Namseoul University Anchor Project, expressed his commitment to leading the Chungnam Anchor Project, stating, "The foundation of a university's existence lies in close cooperation and coexistence with the community. Namseoul University will continue to be a strong partner that brings practical vitality to local small businesses and alley markets."

This competition aimed to discover and disseminate exemplary models of cooperation initiated by universities across the country to promote small businesses and local markets. The final awardees were selected through written evaluations and assessments by field experts from the National Participation Innovation Group.

Namseoul University's Anchor Project submitted a case study titled 'Seonghwan 1st Street K-Glocal Living Lab,' which combines the university's youth infrastructure and over 2,000 international students to revitalize the declining downtown area of Seonghwan-eup in Cheonan. This initiative earned the highest honor in its category.

The university has established a robust public-private-academic local governance structure in collaboration with Cheonan City, Cheonan City Council, the Seonghwan 1st Street Merchants Association, the Seonghwan Urban Regeneration Residents Council, the Chungnam Economic Promotion Agency, the Chungnam Content Promotion Agency, JB Ventures, and Ewha Mi.

Through this collaboration, they successfully executed 11 major living lab projects, including pop-up stores and alley market branding, and hosted the 'Our Neighborhood Festival,' which attracted over 300 participants.

Additionally, they conducted eight tailored academy sessions, training more than 190 local professionals. Based on these practical achievements, they were selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' '2026 Local Market Development Project,' securing 460 million won in government funding, laying the groundwork for sustainable market development.

Professor Jeong Jun-won, who oversaw the project, remarked, "This award is the result of the university, local merchants, and residents coming together as one team to turn the crisis of the alley market into an opportunity. We will continue to establish a standard model of cooperation that can be replicated in other municipalities and universities."

The award ceremony was held in conjunction with the opening of the '2026 Industry-Academic Cooperation EXPO,' taking place from September 30 to October 2 at KINTEX in Ilsan.