Ministry of SMEs and Startups Calls for Institutions to Establish and Operate 'Maker Space'... Up to 1.5 Billion KRW Support

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 19th that it is recruiting lead organizations to participate in the Maker Space establishment and operation project.

'Maker Space' is an open space equipped with equipment and facilities for manufacturing and creation, supporting anyone to freely realize innovative ideas and lead them to actual startups.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is recruiting corporations capable of establishing and operating Maker Spaces by the 14th of next month to support manufacturing startups and spread the maker culture.

Currently, 192 Maker Spaces nationwide are in operation, including 12 specialized labs for manufacturing startup support. The educational programs held by Maker Spaces have been conducted over 30,000 times, prototype production support has exceeded 320,000 cases, and equipment and facility usage has reached approximately 1.36 million cases.

This year, the Ministry plans to expand the number of specialized labs to 8 and provide up to 1.5 billion KRW in funding for equipment purchase, facility construction, and space operation. In particular, to advance manufacturing startups in specialized labs, a 'private collaboration' model will be introduced, where large corporations and specialized labs form consortia to support innovation resources from large corporations.

For general labs, up to 150 million KRW will be supported to newly establish 10 labs to promote maker culture through experiences and education and improve accessibility for marginalized groups.

Among general labs, specialized labs will be newly established to support maker development and manufacturing startups based on specific expertise such as metalwork and woodworking. To this end, about 10 lead organizations will be selected and provided with up to 100 million KRW in funding.

Cha Jeong-hoon, Director of the Startup Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, "Through a support system centered on specialized labs, we will enhance capabilities for prototype production and mass production support and make policy efforts so that Maker Spaces can become a genuine hub for manufacturing startups."

More detailed information on eligibility and support conditions can be found on the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and K-Startup websites starting from the 20th. Corporations wishing to apply must submit their applications online by 5 p.m. on the 14th of next month.

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