Busan Creative Economy Innovation Center has begun full-scale operation of a public-private partnership to nurture smart maritime startups.
The center announced on the 11th that it held the first regular meeting of the 2026 Ocean Startup Alliance (OSA) at its headquarters on the 10th.
OSA is a public-private consortium formed by 13 organizations including regional maritime agencies, investment firms, universities, and major corporations to build a sustainable maritime startup ecosystem based in Busan. Its core mission is to discover startups with artificial intelligence transformation (AX) technology in the maritime sector and support proof-of-concept (PoC) testing linked to large corporate infrastructure, as well as investment attraction.
Since its launch last year, the consortium has built a foundation for cooperation through three meetings. At the third meeting last year, members voted to change the organization's name from NAVIS to OSA. This meeting marks the first official gathering under the new name.
Eleven organizations attended, including Korea Maritime and Ocean University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Busan Shipbuilding and Marine Equipment Industry Cooperative, Busan Techno Park, Busan Port Authority, Research Institute of Medium & Small Shipbuilding, Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Tap Angel Partners, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean. Participants discussed each organization's strategies and cooperation plans for nurturing maritime startups.
Building an effective cooperation structure between large corporations and startups emerged as a key agenda item. Discussions went beyond simple technology verification to include strengthening startup growth foundations through in-kind infrastructure support from major companies and linkage with government R&D funding. Participants also shared strategies for revitalizing the startup ecosystem in connection with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' relocation to Busan and the "Maritime Capital Busan" policy initiative.
The consortium decided to hold "OSA DAY," a first-half integrated event, in May. The event will feature investor relations presentations by smart maritime startups from the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region, open innovation technology meet-ups with major corporations, and networking sessions.
A Busan Creative Economy Innovation Center official said, "We will take the lead in helping Busan become a global hub for maritime startups by bringing together the solid infrastructure and expertise of participating organizations."