On August 27, Hanyang University (President Lee Ki-jeong) announced that it has been selected as the lead university for the Seoul Campus Town Project 2026, an initiative spearheaded by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. With this selection, Hanyang University, in partnership with Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh), will establish the “Hanyang–Seongdong Next Unicorn Campus” and receive a total of 4.8 billion KRW in project funding over the next four years (1.2 billion annually).

The Seoul Campus Town project is the city’s flagship startup support program designed to discover and nurture youth-led startups by leveraging the human, physical, and intellectual resources of universities, while also building a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem centered around higher education institutions. Since its launch in 2017, the program has provided end-to-end support for startups, including workspace and expert mentoring. Beginning in 2026, it will be linked with the Ministry of Education’s RISE initiative to focus on cultivating high-potential companies and fostering “baby unicorns.”

Hanyang University first joined the program in 2020 through the “unit-type” Campus Town model, and in 2023 was selected for the “startup-type” Campus Town, steadily strengthening its startup support capabilities. In 2024, it was named the 'Top University' in the program evaluation, reaffirming its achievements and paving the way for its selection as lead institution this year.

Under this initiative, Hanyang University will integrate campus town, university, and local government startup facilities to provide 15,000 square meters of entrepreneurship space for resident companies. It also plans to run specialized programs that expand the university’s entrepreneurial culture and systematically identify promising founders.

In particular, by organically linking the Seoul Campus Town program with the Ministry of Education's RISE initiative, the university aims to: train 660 AI specialists over four years, strengthen its 'Born Global' strategy geared toward overseas expansion, and nurture 55 promising startups annually and produce at least four 'baby unicorns'. To achieve this, Hanyang University will enhance practical support such as international certification and intellectual property rights acquisition, global partner matching, overseas testbed opportunities, and expanded industry–academia collaboration networks.

President Lee Ki-jeong commented, “Through the Seoul Campus Town program, we will turn the potential of student entrepreneurship into reality, and by aligning with RISE, Hanyang University will become the gateway for startups on their path to global unicorn status.”

Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh added, “By working closely with Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu will create the foundation for young startups to grow into global unicorns. We hope the Next Unicorn Campus will become an innovation hub that extends beyond Seoul to the world.”