□ DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) and the Society of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity (SOI), chaired by Principal Researcher Jinhyo Yun (also serving as also serving as Head Professor of the Open Innovation Academy), announced that the SOI International Conference will be held at DGIST from July 14 to 18.
□ SOI, a society registered with the Ministry of Science and ICT and listed as an academic organization by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, marks its 10th anniversary this year. This year’s conference will be held offline in Korea for the first time in a decade, returning to DGIST, the institution that hosted the inaugural SOI conference in 2015.
□ The 2025 conference will bring together more than 100 universities from over 20 countries around the world, including MIT, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Nankai University, and RMIT. Of the approximately 200 papers submitted, more than 150 have been accepted, nearly 100 of which are from international researchers. Although held in Korea, the international participation rate is nearly twice that of domestic submissions. This underscores SOI’s growing status as a globally recognized academic platform.
□ The theme of the conference is “Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity,” aligning with the name of the society. It explores the convergence of technology and markets driven by AI and digital transformation, as well as the resulting complexity.
□ Nine world-renowned scholars will deliver keynote speeches at the conference. Among them are Professor Eric von Hippel of MIT, the founder of User Innovation; Professor Jason Potts of RMIT, a leading expert in blockchain; Professor Fred Phillips, former editor-in-chief of Technological Forecasting & Social Change; Professor Krishna of UNSW, a sociologist of science and technology; Professor Tan of Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and authority of smart cities; Professor Biung-Ghi Ju of Seoul National University (Climate Justice); Professor Weian Li of Nankai University (Green Governance); Professor Vincenzo Corvello, a leading representative of European innovation studies; and Professor Jinhyo Yun, founder of the SOI society and Head Professor of the Open Innovation Academy, who has been leading pioneering research in open innovation from Korea for the past 20 years.
□ In addition to the academic program, a variety of special events are scheduled during the conference. On the opening day, July 14, the Open Innovation Academy Summer School will be held with direct participation from leading scholars. On July 15, an industry tour to the Korea Water Cluster is planned. The main academic sessions will begin on the afternoon of the 15th, followed by the official opening ceremony and presentations on the 16th. The SOI General Assembly and Award Ceremony will take place on the 17th, followed by a poster session and a cultural visit to Haeinsa Temple on the 18th.
□ Another key feature of this year’s conference is the inclusion of 29 pre-organized special sessions. A total of 149 papers will be presented across sessions led by major domestic and international universities, including Seoul National University, Korea University, and DGIST. Most of these sessions were planned over a year in advance, resulting in well-developed academic output.
□ SOI goes beyond traditional paper presentations emphasizing connections with industry. During the conference, business model sessions will also be held in parallel, with various efforts made to link research outcomes with industry in a practical way.
□ Professor Sandon Lee of Ewha Women’s University, Chair of SOI’s Executive Committee, stated, “Over the past decade, the SOI conference has served as a fertile ground for nurturing more than 50 young global scholars. Looking ahead to SOI’s 20th and 30th anniversaries, we hope to see even Nobel Prize winners in economics emerge from this platform.
