On December 10th, MIMETICS won the Grand Prize in the IR category of the Senior Team Competition at the “10th Laboratory Startup Festival” held in Seoul.

Hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, this event celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Laboratory Startup Support Program and provided a platform for prospective entrepreneurs to showcase their achievements. Around 300 participants attended, including 57 exploratory lab startup teams from 33 universities and 93 innovative startup laboratories.

MIMETICS received high praise from the judges for its “Negative-Pressure Patch for Enhanced Cosmetic Penetration,” which applies the adhesive principles of octopus suckers. The technology utilizes the three-dimensional dome structure of octopus suckers to generate negative pressure, enabling strong adhesion across various surfaces.

Founded by students from Sungkyunkwan University, MIMETICS has emerged as a leading player in the field of biomimetic technology. According to the company, it has filed over 30 domestic and international patents and completed six technology transfers to date.

Hyung-ki Park, CEO of MIMETICS, said, “We are very pleased that our technology has been recognized through this award. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to developing innovative products.”

MIMETICS’ negative-pressure patch uses a physically generated suction mechanism, making it environmentally friendly and causing up to four times less skin irritation compared to conventional commercial patches or tapes. The technology is also being explored for applications in transdermal drug delivery systems.

Recently, MIMETICS showcased its cosmetic-carrying negative-pressure patch at an exhibition in Hong Kong, seeking to enter the global market. The company was also selected for the 6th cohort of IBK Bank’s innovation startup nurturing program, “IBK Changgong Daejeon.”