POSCO Supports Eco-friendly and Smart Innovation Growth of SMEs through Technology Sharing

On the 12th, Ministry of Industry, KIAT, and SMEs Sign 'POSCO Technology Sharing Agreement'

POSCO Group Provides 140 Patents Free of Charge to 88 SMEs This Year...

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] POSCO announced on the 12th that it will provide 140 patents free of charge this year to promote eco-friendly and smart technology innovation growth for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The ‘POSCO Technology Sharing Business Agreement’ event held at Samjung Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was attended by Kim Sang-mo, Director of Industrial Technology Convergence Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Seok Young-cheol, President of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), Cheon Si-yeol, Head of Production Technology Strategy Office at POSCO, and representatives of SMEs. The event was conducted with limited offline attendance in accordance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines and was simultaneously broadcast online.

In August, POSCO Group disclosed a total of 588 patents?112 in the eco-friendly sector and 476 in the smart technology sector?to support SMEs in achieving a low-carbon society and securing competitiveness through smartization, and invited applications from SMEs wishing to acquire these patents. The disclosure involved six companies: POSCO, POSCO Chemical, POSCO Construction, POSCO Energy, POSCO ICT, and the Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST) in Pohang.

This year, a total of 140 patents, including ‘carbon dioxide recovery device technology’ and ‘uninterruptible power supply technology,’ will be transferred free of charge to 88 SMEs, with follow-up commercialization support including technical guidance and consulting. Since 2017, POSCO has transferred a total of 564 patents free of charge to 241 SMEs over five years through technology sharing.

Cheon Si-yeol, Head of Production Technology Strategy Office at POSCO, said, “In the midst of the climate change crisis, this is an opportunity for POSCO and SMEs to take a step further toward carbon neutrality, and we hope that eco-friendly strong SMEs will be fostered through device and process smartization. POSCO will continue to strive to grow together with SMEs and realize a better society.”

In fact, among the companies that received fuel cell patents from POSCO last year, FCi Co., Ltd. successfully entered the market this year using the technology. Additionally, 12 other companies have been actively conducting R&D activities since 2022 aiming to enter markets such as belt conveyors and IT service platforms, demonstrating that POSCO’s technology sharing plays a significant role in enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs.

Meanwhile, technology sharing, which began in 2013, is a win-win cooperation project between large and small-medium enterprises led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It opens technologies owned by public research institutes and large corporations to SMEs free of charge to create new business opportunities. POSCO has been participating since 2017.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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