Inha University Partners with KT to Enhance ICT Competitiveness of SMEs

Memorandum of Understanding with Incheon Vision Enterprise Association and Incheon Promising Enterprises Federation
Utilizing Information and Communication Technology for Innovation and Intelligence in SME Manufacturing Processes

(From left) Park Young-dae, President of Incheon Promising Companies Association; Oh Hyun-kyu, President of Incheon Vision Companies Association; Cho Myung-woo, President of Inha University; and Hae Yong-seon, Executive Director of KT Gangnam Western Metropolitan Headquarters, are signing a memorandum of understanding for mutual cooperation for the coexistence of small and medium-sized enterprises and taking a commemorative photo.
Photo by Inha University

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Inha University is partnering with KT to enhance the information and communication technology capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Incheon area, creating a manufacturing innovation development model.

On the 25th, Inha University announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding for mutual cooperation to support SMEs with KT, the Incheon Vision Enterprise Association, and the Incheon Promising Enterprises Federation.

According to the agreement, Inha University will focus on industry-academia cooperation aimed at innovating and intelligentizing SME manufacturing processes based on information and communication technology to reduce costs and increase productivity.

First, leveraging Inha University's strengths in diverse research achievements and expertise, it will provide customized support according to the mid- to long-term innovation strategies of each SME. Next, it will enhance competitiveness by sharing future core technologies such as 5G, energy saving, and collaborative robots.

KT will discuss various development plans with SMEs based on five major platforms: smart energy, disaster/safety/security, media, corporate/public value enhancement, and financial transactions.

Additionally, KT will operate SME mutual growth programs based on information and communication technology, including network and energy diagnostic consulting, energy saving, and fire prevention. It will also provide dedicated 5G services to reduce communication costs for SMEs.

Inha University and KT plan to gradually expand their cooperation from the materials, parts, and processing industry to electronics, chemicals, cosmetics, and other sectors.

Currently, there are about 12,000 SMEs in the Incheon industrial complex, including approximately 1,200 members of the Incheon Vision Enterprise Association and about 570 members of the Incheon Promising Enterprises Federation. Especially, the manufacturing and machinery sectors have a high proportion, with more than half of the 6,600 companies in the Namdong Industrial Complex engaged in manufacturing and machinery.

Cho Myung-woo, president of Inha University, said, "Inha University has been working closely with local SMEs for decades, striving to ensure that our technological capabilities and research power contribute to the development of SMEs. We will fully leverage Inha University's industry-academia cooperation capabilities so that SMEs leading the future of Incheon can actively respond to changes in the new era."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.