Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Regional Workshop on Emerging Technologies

Overview

The U.S. Embassy Seoul announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to implement a regional workshop and accompanying virtual engagements on critical and emerging technologies, under the 2026 Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Network program. Launched following the 2023 Camp David Trilateral Leaders’ Summit and the 2024 U.S.–ROK–Japan Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit, YTL aims to build a strong network of trilateral youth champions from the United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan who work across borders to tackle some of the Indo-Pacific’s biggest security, economic, and civic engagement challenges. 

The 2026 programmatic year will center on a regional workshop that brings together Korean and Japanese youth with American peer experts to collaborate on pressing issues related to critical and emerging technologies. The workshop will highlight American innovation and excellence in technology, while fostering collaboration to address the Indo-Pacific region’s most pressing security and economic challenges. Participants will explore how cutting-edge U.S. technologies and expertise can be leveraged to strengthen regional security, enhance economic resilience, and promote shared prosperity. 

Proposals must include an American element or connection with U.S. experts, organizations, or institutions and should clearly explain the applicants’ previous experience running similar programs across the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the United States. 

The purpose of this program is to advance U.S. leadership in critical and emerging technologies while strengthening trilateral cooperation through youth-led engagement. By fostering peer-to-peer collaboration and policy-relevant dialogue, the program will showcase American innovation and expertise, promote U.S. technology exports, and reinforce shared values that underpin regional security and prosperity. Expected outcomes include: 

• Increased understanding among participants of U.S. technological leadership and its impact on the Indo-Pacific region’s security, economic resilience, and democratic institutions.. 
• Strengthened professional and personal ties among youth from the three countries. 
• Follow-on collaboration and knowledge-sharing beyond the workshop. 

Potential topic areas include, but are not limited to: 

• AI’s impact on democratic institutions and education systems 
• Quantum computing 
• Semiconductors
• Games and immersive technologies as collaborative spaces 
• Leveraging new technologies to encourage youth civic participation 
• Space exploration 

Key Activities 

• In-person Workshop: Must take place in a city outside the Seoul metropolitan area in 2026 in the Republic of Korea. 
• Virtual Engagements: Pre- and/or post-workshop online sessions to prepare participants, provide technical background, and sustain connections. 

Priority Region: Republic of Korea 

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements include substantial involvement of the bureau or embassy in program implementation of the project. An FAA can also include substantial involvement. Examples of substantial involvement are included in section C below. 

Project Performance Period: Proposed projects should be completed in 12 months or less. 
The Department of State will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.