EU Business Hub Mission to SEMICON KOREA 2026
EU Business Hub Mission to SEMICON KOREA 2026
The EU Business Hub - Japan and the Republic of Korea aims to boost the presence and visibility of EU companies operating in the green, digital, and healthcare sectors where potential for increased cooperation between European and Japanese and European and Korean companies exists. The programme aims to strengthen EU businesses' internationalisation, export and investment activities, as well as foster more resilient, sustainable, and technologically advanced value chains with the two Asian markets. Thus, significantly supporting the implementation of EU-RoK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The EU Business Hub will organise 10 business missions in Japan and 10 in the Republic of Korea over the next four years, each business mission allowing a group of approximately 50 innovative EU companies to benefit from extensive business coaching and B2B matchmaking. Participating companies are carefully selected based on criteria including their products and technologies, resources and capacity, as well as business strategy. Business missions to Korea will encompass all three priority sectors, while business missions to Japan will target the green and digital sectors.
Entité de financement
European UnionClôture de l'appel
12 septembre 2025Zone géographique
eur
Objectif
Overview of the business mission
The Semiconductors Korea 2026 Business Mission, taking place from 9-13 February 2026, is your gateway to the forefront of innovation in the Republic of Korea.
The business mission to Seoul will last five days in total, including three days of dedicated business matchmaking and networking, a visit to SEMICON Korea for further business opportunities, as well as a study tour.
Key market insights
Participating to Semiconductors Korea 2026 represents a unique opportunity for European SMEs and start-ups because:
The Republic of Korea is Asia’s 4th and the World’s 12economy.
EU exports to the Republic of Korea in 2023 amounted to €57.8 billion in goods and €18.7 billion in services.
The Republic of Korea represents the EU’s 8th largest trading partner for goods.
The Republic of Korea recorded an all-time monthly high in semiconductor exports in April 2024, reaching approximately €12.5 billion, with a 50.9% year-on-year increase and marking eight consecutive months of growth.
The Republic of Korea ranked as the world’s second-largest semiconductor producer in 2023, maintaining this position for the 11th consecutive year since 2013, with a 13.2% share of the €506.9 billion global semiconductor market.
The Ministry of Science and ICT listed 12 National Strategic Technologies as strategic areas in its Science and Technology Master Plan (2023- 2027) including semiconductor and display, secondary battery, advanced mobility, hydrogen, cybersecurity, AI, etc.
The Republic of Korea unveiled a €18.6 billion support package for the semiconductor industry, including €3.6 billion investment from 2025 to 2027 focused on R&D, commercialisation and workforce development
Critères d'éligibilité
Target audience
European SMEs, including start-ups and innovative enterprises, active in the semiconductor industry or related sectors, such as:
Sustainable semiconductor manufacturing technologies.
Advanced semiconductor design and fabrication processes.
Semiconductor materials and equipment (e.g. wafer production, photomasks, etching, testing, etc.).
Advanced packaging and integration solutions.
Semiconductor-related software and AI-based applications.
Emerging technologies including quantum computing, power electronics and smart mobility.
SMEs and startups must
- be established over 5 years ago (3 years for startups),
- be able to demonstrate last 3 years of financial figures (or last 2 years for startups),
- be entirely or majority EU-owned,
- have its headquarters in the EU.
Business operators in the Republic of Korea, especially:
Buyers and distributors of semiconductor equipment and materials.
R&D institutions and partners (both public and private).
Investors with interest in next-generation semiconductor technologies.
Technologies clés
Semiconductor industry
Typologie de consortium
The business mission agenda is as follows:
Day 1: Arrival in Seoul, welcome & networking reception.
Day 2: Briefing session with sectoral experts and a study tour.
Day 3: Business matchmaking sessions.
Day 4: Business matchmaking sessions and networking at Semicon Korea.
Day 5: Last day of business matchmaking sessions and a debriefing session.
Services/benefits the EU participants will be receiving
Business matchmaking resulting in pre-arranged in-person meetings with carefully selected enterprises in the Republic of Korea.
Market intelligence information including sectoral briefings providing valuable insights on market structure and potential opportunities.
Cultural and linguistic support such as briefings on doing business in Korea and support for interpretation and translation.
Financial support up to €1000 to benefit from a menu of additional customised services co-funded by the project (e.g. translation, printing, legal advice, booth decoration).
Hotel accommodation for four nights – in total, up to €1000 for accommodation is covered by the programme.
Coverage of the visitor fee for SEMICON Korea.