The Gangwon State University (President Choi Jong-gyun) Anchor Business Group (Head Choi Geun-pyo) participated in the "2026 Industry-University-Institute Collaboration EXPO" held at KINTEX in Goyang City from September 30 to October 2, showcasing 'Gondre Rice Gelato', a product developed through industry-university cooperation between the university and local enterprises, thereby presenting a successful model of industry-academic collaboration.

Hosted by the Ministry of Education and organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea, the "2026 Industry-University-Institute Collaboration EXPO" brings together entities from universities, corporations, research institutes, and local governments to share achievements in education, research, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization, and to spread cooperative models linking regions, industries, and talent. This year’s event featured 362 participating institutions under the theme, "Industry-University-Institute Connecting Regions and Talent, a New Engine for Future Growth."

At this expo, the Gangwon State University Anchor Business Group introduced 'Gondre Rice Gelato' as a representative case of industry-university cooperation, student entrepreneurship, and commercialization models utilizing region-specific resources in Gangwon Province.

'Gondre Rice Gelato' is a region-specific dessert product developed using gondre (thistle) and rice, which are representative specialties of the Jeongseon region in Gangwon Province. Notably, it was carried out as an enterprise-linked capstone design project involving second-year students from the Department of Barista and Confectionery-Bakery (Shin Ki-chan, Kim Ha-seon, Seo Ji-woo, Kim Hye-young, Bae Hye-youn, and Yoon Seo-ah), and won the Grand Prize at the university’s capstone design competition, recognizing its creativity and product completion.

Seoigel Company, a tenant enterprise within the university's Business Incubator Center, participated as a partner company in this product development. Based on the gelato manufacturing recipes and related technologies provided by Seoigel Company to the university's Anchor Business Group, the students integrated their ideas and completed product development utilizing Gangwon's regional specialties, gondre and rice.

In particular, this case is meaningful as an industry-university cooperation model in which professors and students utilize technology and recipes in collaboration with a specialized gelato enterprise rather than simply planning a product, thereby verifying its commercialization potential through capstone design.

In line with the purpose of the Regional Growth Talent Training System (ANCHOR), the university's Anchor Business Group is promoting field-centered talent training and regional industry revitalization connecting the university, local community, and enterprises. The Gangwon Anchor Project is pursued in a direction that links talent training reflecting regional industrial demand with local settlement, focusing on building a foundation for regional growth through cooperation among regional innovation entities such as universities, local governments, and enterprises.

The university's Anchor Business Group plans to further strengthen the industry-academic cooperation system linking enterprise-linked customized education, capstone design, regional specialty product development, and startup/commercialization support. In particular, it plans to provide step-by-step support—including joint project discovery with enterprises, prototype production, technical support, and commercialization—so that students' ideas can combine with local corporate technologies to lead to actual products and startups.

Through this, the project aims to discover youth entrepreneurship models utilizing specialized resources in the Sokcho, Goseong, and Yangyang areas of the northern Gangwon Yeongdong region, building a virtuous cycle structure leading from education-entrepreneurship-employment to local settlement, thereby contributing to regional industry revitalization and youth retention in the area.

Head of the Anchor Business Group Choi Geun-pyo stated, "Gondre Rice Gelato is a representative industry-university cooperation case where creative student ideas combined with local corporate technology and university education to evolve into an actual product. We will continue to develop regional resources into new products and startup items with local enterprises, expanding practical industry-university cooperation models where students can learn, start businesses, and settle down locally."

President Choi Jong-gyun remarked, "Gondre Rice Gelato is a fine example of industry-academic cooperation where regional specialized resources, creative student ideas, and corporate technology and know-how combine to develop into a single product. We will continue to expand industry-university cooperation models that connect university education, corporate technology, and regional resources to enhance students' entrepreneurship and commercialization capabilities, leading to regional industrial development and youth settlement in the area."

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