Seoul: POSCO Group has shared more than 100 patents in energy, equipment, and other industrial fields with smaller firms this year as part of efforts to promote shared growth, according to the industry ministry Wednesday. POSCO Holdings Inc., POSCO E and C, and other affiliates of the industrial conglomerate transferred a total of 112 patents to 75 companies this year across machinery and equipment, energy and resources, materials, and other fields, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the latest technologies transferred by POSCO include an advanced battery control system diagnostic device, which enables the early detection of abnormalities in individual battery units within a battery pack, the ministry added. Since the launch of a technology-sharing program in 2017, POSCO has provided a combined 926 patents to 480 smaller entities.

"We will continue to support the active transfer of outstanding technologies through technology-sharing programs to help companies proactively expand into new markets," Choi Yeon-woo, director general for industrial technology convergence policy at the ministry, said.