Semiconductor researchers and companies are being invited by the British government on a mission to South Korea to build a collaborative research and development network. 

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has invited those working in the microchip sector to apply for the trip that will see them work directly with Korean businesses and researchers. 

The three-day programme will take place in February 2025. The trip is open to all UK-registered stakeholders with a focus on commercialising semiconductor technology. 

DSIT has encouraged those working in areas such as heterogeneous integration and advance packaging, wide band gap materials and packaging for power electronics, future telecoms, smart networks and photonics to apply. 

The government will announce the successful applicants in January 2025. 

The trip follows the UK’s recent expanded association with the international research scheme Horizon Europe, which DSIT said enables better collaborative opportunities with South Korea. 

The UK is keen to expand its semiconductor partnership with South Korea, which is seen as a major international player in the sector. 

According to Invest Korea, the Asian republic holds a 17.7% share in the global semiconductor market as of 2022, among the largest in the world. 

In 2023, the UK and the Republic of Korea signed a joint framework for semiconductor cooperation. 

In April, the two nations jointly hosted the AI Seoul Summit in the South Korean capital as a follow-up to Britain’s AI Safety Summit held in Bletchley Park in 2023. The summit saw former prime minister Rishi Sunak and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol co-chair leaders’ sessions. 

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