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Boryung Unveils Winners of the 2023 HIS Challenge Paving the Way for the Future of Space Innovation

2023-11-28
<figure class='image'><img src='/img/DATA/attachFiles/file/Editor/2024/02/01/e8b2ac22-797d-40d7-976b-37778d46650f'><figcaption>(Photo: The HIS Challenge's final round was hosted at the ASCEND's main stage)</figcaption></figure><p><strong>SEOUL, KOREA, November 27, 2023</strong> – Boryung, a leading healthcare investment company, has unveiled the winners of the 2023 Humans In Space (HIS) Challenge. A total of 7 startups and 5 researchers were selected, getting the significant benefits: the startup teams will each receive investments of $100,000, while every researcher will have $30,000 as research awards.</p><p>This year's HIS Challenge received applications from over 100 startups and researchers from a total of 31 countries worldwide, including South Korea, the United States, and France. Evaluators from prominent space organizations, such as NASA, SpaceX, and ESA, conducted application screening and final evaluations. After meticulous evaluations, 15 startups and 8 researchers advanced to the finals, where they pitched their ideas and solutions at the HIS Symposium held in Las Vegas in October. </p><p>“The winners of the 2023 HIS Challenge were thoroughly selected based on technical significance, innovation, and feasibility,” said Jack Lim, Head of Boryung’s New Portfolio Investment Group. “We are committed to expanding the HIS ecosystem through close collaboration with promising tech-driven companies and researchers.” </p><p>The nominated startup teams included LambdaVision (United States), known for holding a patent for artificial retinas, PAPRICALAB (South Korea), focused on contact lens and skin-patch radiation detector production, and BioBankHealing (South Korea), pursuing health diagnosis through gut microbiota analysis. Other startups were brain.space (Israel), Neursantys (United States), Mutagentech (United States), and Odyssey SpaceWorks (United States).</p><p>Meanwhile, the appointed researchers were Dr. Hak Soo Choi from Harvard Medical School, specializing in stress monitoring using near-infrared fluorescence, and Dr. Alysson Muotri from the University of California San Diego, developing formulations that protect human brain in microgravity environment. Moreover, Dr. JangKeun Kim from Cornell University Medical College, Dr. Devon Lundine from MSK Cancer Center, and Dr. Luke Hughes from Northumbria University were selected.</p><p>Along with the startup investments and research awards, the winners will be eligible to form partnerships and receive further investments within the HIS ecosystem, joining the ranks as HIS alumni. Boryung and Axiom Space will conduct an in-depth evaluation of prototypes among the startup teams, with plans for them to be integrated into experiments on the ISS during Axiom Space’s mission in 2024.</p><p>Building on the success of last year's Care In Space (CIS) Challenge, Boryung has played a pivotal role in shaping the space industry ecosystem. In May, in partnership with Axiom Space and MIT's Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), Boryung initiated the 2023 HIS Challenge. Unlike the previous CIS Challenge, which focused on space healthcare, the HIS Challenge expanded its scope to include topics related to extended space stays and leveraging the space environment to address healthcare challenges on Earth.</p><figure class='image'><img src='/img/DATA/attachFiles/file/Editor/2024/02/01/a933554f-b5e8-4c55-8096-561c97f3df41'><figcaption>(Photo: Humans In Space Emblem)</figcaption></figure><p> </p>
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