Innovative Products, Government Buys First... Pioneering the Early Market

Backpack Wi-Fi capable of providing service over 10km even in disaster situations, supporting both fixed and mobile available channels (the first dual-mode KC certification in Korea).

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] The government has designated nine innovative products, including virus air sterilizers, backpack Wi-Fi, and 1.2-terabit bandwidth network equipment, and has begun efforts to create markets for them. Government ministries and local governments will procure these innovative products through public procurement to support the pioneering of initial markets.

On the 7th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held an award ceremony for excellent R&D innovative product certification at the Sheraton Palace Hotel in Seoul. At the event, a total of nine products received innovative product certification.

Among the innovative products, the Viro air sterilizer was recognized for its innovation due to its ability to remove bacteria and viruses in enclosed spaces such as multi-use public facilities, thereby preventing the spread of infectious diseases, and its ease of installation. The 1.2-terabit packet-optical transmission network equipment was highly evaluated for its public utility as it can manage bandwidth shortages caused by explosive usage in nationwide or provincial-level network infrastructures. The backpack Wi-Fi was designated as an innovative product because it can be used as an emergency communication network in disaster sites such as wildfires.

In addition, other products selected as innovative in the first half of this year include the cloud platform solution Cloudit, x86 Xeon processor-based data center server systems, precision positioning RTK GNSS receivers, video information data security and privacy protection software, AC/DC power measurement devices, and 3D automated breast ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

To accelerate the initial market entry of innovative products, the government allows direct contracts in public procurement for three years from the date of designation. This system, which has been proactively introduced in major advanced countries such as the European Union due to the need to create innovation-friendly markets, is now being fully implemented in South Korea.

A total of 53 products were submitted for this innovative product designation. The government advanced the designation schedule by about a month in response to economic crisis concerns caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

Jung Byung-seon, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "With the spread of COVID-19 leading to a transition to a non-face-to-face society, innovative products and services are having a significant impact across society, making the meaning of technological innovation even greater. We will comprehensively support this system so that it creates initial markets for government R&D project research outcomes and connects with public procurement to help companies establish sales channels."

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