Expands grant funding and eligibility criteria based on researcher feedback; applications surge from 300 to 500 in one year
Editage, the flagship brand of technology company Cactus Communications (CACTUS), continues to expand its support for early-career researchers through its annual grant program, now in its third year. To make the program more inclusive, this year Editage broadened eligibility to include professors and Korean researchers living overseas and removed previous research funding as a disadvantage in evaluations. The company awarded a total of KRW 35 million to 16 researchers at the 3rd Editage Grant Awards Ceremony held on October 30 in Seoul.
In 2024, Editage introduced the Editage Grant Program in Korea to offer financial assistance, academic resources, and mentorship to early-career researchers with an ambition to make an impact on the society through their research. This year, the first-place recipient received KRW 10 million, five second-place recipients received KRW 3 million each, and ten third-place recipients received KRW 1 million each. Both the number of recipients and the total grant amount increased compared to the previous year. The program also saw a rise in applications from approximately 300 last year to around 500 this year.
Five professors from diverse academic disciplines evaluated the applications. The selected recipients represented fields including medicine, nursing, industrial AI, energy materials, urban studies, music, and acoustics, and were recognized for the originality of their research, its potential real-world impact, and their promise as early-career researchers. Judges particularly praised projects that challenged existing research from new perspectives and presented clear plans for future studies.
Park Joon-seok, an internal medicine resident at Seoul National University Hospital, received this year’s top grant for research on how new obesity medicines such as GLP-1 treatments affect the brain. His work aims to improve personalized obesity care by turning findings from animal studies into treatments that can benefit patients.
“Receiving this grant is especially meaningful at a time when I have been facing many challenges while balancing my medical residency and research,” said Park. “I see it not only as recognition of my research achievements so far, but also as an encouragement to keep pursuing my research without giving up.”
Akhilesh Ayer, CEO, Cactus Communications, commented, “Researchers are among society’s quiet heroes, driving medical breakthroughs, technological innovation, and societal progress. Yet, they face challenges in receiving the recognition and support their contributions deserve. At CACTUS, we are committed to helping researchers reach their highest potential by providing the resources, opportunities, and encouragement they need to advance research that can make a meaningful difference to society.”
Makoto Yuasa, Chief Growth Officer, Research Solutions at Cactus Communications, added, “Korea is home to a highly talented and ambitious research community. Through the Editage Grant Program, we aim to support early-career researchers as they build a strong foundation for their research careers. By combining financial assistance with academic resources and mentorship, we hope to help the next generation of Korean researchers and support their long-term growth and development.”
Alongside grants and mentorship, Editage is expanding support for the questions researchers now face as AI becomes part of manuscript preparation. Concerns about the accuracy of AI-generated content, whether a manuscript will withstand journal screening, and whether every reviewer comment has been adequately addressed, can add to researchers’ workload. To address these, Editage launched four new services during the grant ceremony.
Post-AI Risk Assessment has experts review AI-assisted manuscripts for factual accuracy, publication ethics and consistency, and Post-AI Editing refines terminology and logical flow. Pre-submission Manuscript Check provides AI detection, plagiarism and image similarity reports so researchers can spot potential issues before a journal does. Response Letter Editing checks reviewers’ comments against the response letter and revised manuscript and sharpens the writing.
Through initiatives such as the Editage Grant Program and its expanding suite of research support services, Editage remains committed to helping researchers navigate an increasingly complex research landscape, accelerate their professional growth, and maximize the impact of their work.
