Daegu Metropolitan City and EXCO celebrated the first-ever FIX Innovation Awards on 22 October 2024, held at the Grand Ballroom of EXCO. This inaugural awards event, part of the ‘Future Innovation Tech Expo 2024’ (FIX 2024), recognised 36 companies across mobility, IT, and robotics for their cutting-edge technologies and contributions to industry advancement.
The awards ceremony drew a diverse crowd, including representatives from international media outlets such as India’s ET Auto, France’s Le Café Du Geek, and China’s Chinabyte, alongside domestic media, industry professionals, and the awardees.
The FIX Innovation Awards were established to highlight the most promising advancements in future mobility, ABB (AI, Big Data, Blockchain), and robotics. These honours evaluated companies on innovation, technological development, business potential, and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) impact.
Of the 210 participating firms, nine received the esteemed Grand Innovation Award, while 27 earned the Innovation Award, signalling Daegu’s commitment to discovering and supporting enterprises with global competitiveness.
Celebrating excellence across categories
In the Future Mobility category, HEI, OKSAN, AEOL Korea, and Korea Metal Silicon stood out with technologies ranging from EV battery health solutions to AI-driven pedestrian safety systems and recyclable MOF electrodes. Robotics awardees included AETECH, recognised for its robotic recycling centre, and TWINNY, a leader in autonomous robot-based picking solutions. The ABB category saw honours go to Phantomics Inc. for its AI-based Myomics diagnostic solution, VisionSpace for real-time robot monitoring, and Ilias AI for an Olfactory AI “digital sniffer dog.”
Award-winning companies are set to receive access to accelerator programmes, ESG consulting, and opportunities for international promotion and venture capital networking. Daegu City officials noted, “This initiative aims not only to identify companies with exceptional technologies but also to facilitate their growth into global leaders through targeted support programs.”
Through the FIX Innovation Awards, Daegu aims to bolster the South Korean industrial landscape by nurturing companies capable of shaping the future of mobility, robotics, and IT on an international scale.
