"Stepping Stone for SME Remote Work Expansion"… Establishing a Shared 'Video Conference Room'

Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Recruiting Demand Organizations for Business Participation

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 14th that it is recruiting demand institutions to participate in the 'Shared Video Conference Room Construction Project for SMEs.'

This project is being promoted to improve the efficiency of non-face-to-face (untact) work for SMEs and startups and to promote digitalization. Demand institutions located in areas densely populated with SMEs and startups will be selected to support the establishment of video conferencing equipment, purchase of domestic software solutions, and installation costs of smart work booths to promote the spread of remote work.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups secured 23.4 billion KRW through the third supplementary budget this year. Eligible applicants are SME support institutions and industry-specific associations and organizations that can build systems in existing conference rooms and make them available to SMEs and startups on a regular basis.

The support scale is a total of 1,567 locations, divided into general and expanded types. The general type will support up to 12 million KRW per location for 1,562 locations nationwide for video equipment, monitors, speakerphones, and domestic software purchase costs. Among these, 50 locations will additionally support the installation of smart work booths for 1-2 person rooms suitable for telecommuting.

The expanded type targets five regions serving as regional hubs. To enable large-scale real-time export consultations and investor relations (IR) presentations, installation costs of up to 500 million KRW will be supported for five locations with high-definition displays and state-of-the-art audio equipment.

This project can be applied for through the e-Nara Doum website from the 14th to the 28th. After the first document evaluation and the second on-site evaluation, a total of 1,567 locations will be selected and construction is expected to be completed within the year.

Kim Seongseop, Director of Regional Enterprise Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "Since COVID-19, the socio-economic paradigm has rapidly shifted to a non-face-to-face focus, and digital transformation of SMEs and startups is no longer a choice but a matter of survival. We will promptly and efficiently promote the Shared Video Conference Room Construction Project for SMEs to serve as a stepping stone for the spread of remote work among SMEs and startups."

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