Professor Choi Eun-ha (Department of Electrical & Biological Physics) from Kwangwoon University was awarded the Service Merit Medal at the K-INNO SHOW 2024.

The K-INNO SHOW 2024 (hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups / organized by institutions such as the Technology and Information Promotion Agency) was established to recognize individuals who have contributed to national economic development through innovation and to showcase the year's achievements to the public. Marking its 25th anniversary this year, the event was held under the theme "Innovative Enterprises Empowered by AI" over two days, November 14 (Thursday) and 15 (Friday), at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center, featuring a variety of programs related to technological and managerial innovation.

At the opening ceremony, a total of 230 awards were presented to individuals who achieved outstanding results in technological and managerial innovation and contributed to national economic development. These included 2 Silver Tower Orders of Industrial Service Merit, 1 Bronze Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, 1 Service Merit Medal, 3 Industrial Merit Medals, 20 Presidential Citations, 30 Prime Minister’s Citations, and 173 Ministerial Citations.

At the event, Professor Choi Eun-ha from the Department of Electrical & Biological Physics received the Service Merit Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to technological innovation, industrial development, and national advancement as a distinguished contributor to technological cooperation.

Professor Choi has spent 30 years to pioneering innovative interdisciplinary fields, including low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasma bioscience, medicine, agriculture, and environmental science, achieving exceptional research outcomes through extensive industry-academia collaboration. In the past five years, he has published 97 SCI-level papers and facilitated 7 technology transfers, achievements that earned him this award in recognition of his significant contributions to industrial development.

Meanwhile, this award was finalized based on a recommendation from Kwangwoon University's SME-Industry Collaboration Center (led by Professor Son Chae-bong, Department of Electronic Communication Engineering) following a process of document review, on-site evaluation, and public verification. Since its establishment in 1999, the center has served as a dedicated organization overseeing technology development projects under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, successfully managing approximately 360 projects to date.