Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Additional Recruitment of Demand SMEs for 'Untact Service Voucher'

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 2nd that it will additionally recruit companies wishing to participate in the 'Untact Service Voucher' project, which supports remote work and digital transformation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The additional recruitment period starts from the 14th of this month.

The Untact Service Voucher project supports SMEs by providing vouchers that can be used for untact services in six areas, including video conferencing and telecommuting. Currently, 640 supplier companies have registered 2,486 service products on the platform. The support limit per company is up to 4 million KRW. However, 10% of the support amount must be self-funded by the applying company.

Companies eligible to apply for the project are all SMEs that do not fall under exclusion criteria such as tax delinquency or entertainment business types. Companies that were selected and already supported in last year's project are excluded from applying. However, this year, companies owned by persons with disabilities and women-owned companies, which have a high need for untact service support, are included in the support targets.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has secured 216 billion KRW this year to support 60,000 SMEs. As a result of the demand company recruitment in February, 66,098 companies applied, exceeding the voucher budget. After screening, 45,457 companies were selected last month. Considering the voucher budget size, support goals, and the rejection of some applicants during screening, the Ministry explained that about 30,000 additional companies will be recruited until the budget is exhausted.

Companies wishing to participate in the project can apply through the 'K-Untact Voucher Platform.' The representative and employees of the applying company must apply directly.

Kim Juhwa, Director of the Untact Economy Division at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "The Untact Service Voucher project is a program that helps SMEs take the first step toward building an untact work environment and digital transformation. We will strive to ensure that SMEs with the will and plan to utilize untact services can receive support."

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