Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Selects Teams Advancing to the Final Stage, SPACE 2 of 'i-Maum Exploration Team'

Attendees pose for a commemorative photo at the signing ceremony for the i-Maum Exploration Team SPACE 2, held on the 3rd at the Heyground Seongsu starting point. (From left) Choi Doo-ah, Representative of the Huray Healthcare Consortium; Yoon Seul-gi, Representative of the Language Development Center Consortium; Lim Min-hyuk, Assistant Professor at the Seoul National University Hospital & Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology Consortium; Kim Hee-kwon, Division Head at Save the Children; Do Hyun-myung, CEO of Impact Square; Jung Kyung-sun, Vice President of Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance; Chun Geun-ah, President of Severance Children's Hospital; Cho Sung-ja, Representative of the Neudive Consortium; Seo Joo-ho, Representative of the Solive Ventures Consortium; Bang Ji-eun, CPO of JamJam Therapeutics; Kim Su-yeon, Chief Manager of the Emotional and Behavioral Therapy Team at the Department of Psychiatry, Purme Foundation Nexon Children's Rehabilitation Hospital; and Lee Young-mi, Representative of the KiikiX Consortium. (Photo by Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance)

Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance (CEO Lee Seok-hyun) announced on the 4th that it had finally selected eight teams to advance to the final stage, SPACE 2, of the 'i-Maum Exploration Team,' an early intervention solution contest for children with developmental disabilities and developmental delays, and held a signing ceremony on the 3rd.

'Child Mind Exploration Team' is a three-year social contribution project worth a total of 15 billion won, sponsored by Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance and co-organized by Severance Hospital, Save the Children Korea, and Impact Square. Its goal is to discover innovative solutions, verify their effectiveness, and disseminate them to ensure that the 'golden time' for the early detection and intervention of children with developmental disabilities or developmental delays is not missed.

Last January, 12 teams that advanced to SPACE 1 conducted pilot clinical trials involving at least 10 children per team for six months from February to August, and eight final teams were selected based on a comprehensive review of the pilot study results and SPACE 2 execution plans. The selected teams will conduct large-scale clinical trials involving at least 80 children per team over the next year.

The eight finalist teams are Neudive Consortium, Seoul National University Hospital & Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology Consortium, Solive Ventures Consortium, Language Development Center Consortium, JamJam Therapeutics, KikiX Consortium, Purme Foundation Nexon Children's Rehabilitation Hospital Department of Psychiatry Emotional and Behavioral Therapy Team, and Huray Healthcare Consortium.

Numerous hospitals and universities specializing in child development, as well as technologically advanced startups, were selected. The selection also included teams equipped with non-face-to-face solutions that allow families living in rural areas or facing long waiting lists to easily receive early intervention.

Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance expanded the number of teams selected for SPACE 2 from the originally planned six to eight. This decision was made because multiple teams demonstrated significant potential during the SA PCE 1 pilot program, and the company is exploring various solutions by investing additional budget.

Each of the eight finalist teams will be awarded 150 million won in prize money. In addition, up to 960 million won per team will be provided for clinical and research costs to verify the effectiveness of the solutions. The signing ceremony was attended by the Steering Committee Chairperson, Professor Chun Geun-ah, Director of Severance Children's Hospital; Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Vice President Jung Kyung-sun; representatives from Save the Children Korea and Impact Square; and the principal investigators of the eight teams.

“Through supporting 304 teams, we were able to gather the will of various sectors of society to solve child development issues together, and through the selection of 8 teams, we were able to confirm the possibility of actual change,” said a Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance official. “We will continue to provide support until scientifically verified solutions, developed through one year of large-scale clinical trials and research, reach the daily lives of children with developmental disabilities and developmental delays, as well as their families.”

Reporter Park Jin-hyeok spark@etnews.com