Mokpo National University Selected for Small Business Specialized Support Center Operation Agency Project

Mokpo National University campus view (Photo by Mokpo National University)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] The Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Mokpo National University (President Park Min-seo) announced on the 5th that it was finally selected as the first operating institution of the ‘Small Artisan and Specialized Support Center Operation Institution Support Project’ in Jeonnam region, supported by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small Enterprise and Market Service, which was announced on the 3rd.

The Small Artisan Specialized Support Center Operation Institution Support Project is a project that supports enhancing the competitiveness of local manufacturing industries by inducing the organization and collaboration of small artisans through the installation and operation of specialized centers within clusters of small artisans, thereby promoting their growth and development.

With this project selection, the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Mokpo National University will establish and operate the ‘Muan Ceramic Small Artisan Specialized Center’ in a cooperative system with Muan County participating as a partner institution.

Also, only this year, it will receive a project budget of 150 million KRW combining national and county funds (Muan County), and from the next fiscal year, reflecting the performance evaluation results, it will be able to receive an annual project budget of about 300 million KRW until 2022.

In the future, the Muan Ceramic Small Artisan Specialized Center plans to carry out various self-sustainability enhancement projects, educational consulting projects, and marketing projects to expand domestic and international markets by raising brand awareness of ceramics targeting ceramic small artisans within Muan County.

In particular, to foster ceramic small artisans in Muan, Jeonnam, one of Korea’s three major ceramic origins, it will support shared facilities such as ceramic exhibitions, consultation rooms, testing equipment, and the use of 3D printers.

Along with this, aiming for the mid- to long-term premiumization and internationalization of Muan ceramics, it plans to seek the establishment of a foundation for revitalizing the ceramic industry, improving small artisans’ technology, strengthening product competitiveness and premium branding, enhancing the value of the Muan ceramic brand, and expanding domestic and international sales channels.

Meanwhile, Professor Cho Young-seok of the Department of Finance and Insurance, the project leader, said, “Muan County forms the largest living ceramics cluster in Korea centered on the Cheonggye Industrial Complex,” and added, “Through this project selection, based on excellent technology covering the entire ceramic industry from design production, marketing projects, to sales network construction, we will strive to popularize domestic living ceramics and help the local ceramic industry leap forward as an international premium brand.”

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