Kigyeongwon Seeking Innovative SMEs in Hydrogen Economy... "Active Support for Commercialization"

Lee Jae-hong, President of the Small and Medium Business Technology Information Promotion Agency (second from the left in the photo), is holding a meeting with company representatives residing at the Ulsan Technopark Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Center. [Photo by Small and Medium Business Technology Information Promotion Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Junhyung] The Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA) announced on the 6th that it visited SIS and Wintech, located in the Ulsan Hydrogen Green Mobility Regulatory Free Zone, on the 3rd and 4th. Both companies are recognized as innovative SMEs in the hydrogen fuel cell sector.

TIPA visited the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Center at Ulsan Technopark, the lead organization for the Ulsan Regulatory Free Zone project, to check the current status of demonstration support for hydrogen-related SMEs. Completed in October 2018, the Demonstration Center is specialized in hydrogen pipeline supply methods and enables large-capacity hydrogen fuel cell demonstrations. About 20 hydrogen fuel cell companies, ranging from SMEs to mid-sized and large enterprises, are conducting evaluations and demonstrations related to new products.

TIPA President Lee Jaehong visited SIS, which developed an indoor logistics transport machine powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and Wintech, which developed a reformer for hydrogen fuel cells, both participating in the demonstration. President Lee listened to the on-site difficulties faced by the companies and reviewed policy support measures.

Currently, SIS is conducting demonstrations of an industrial unmanned indoor logistics transport machine equipped with hydrogen fuel cells. Wintech is developing equipment that converts methane, the main component of city gas, into hydrogen to supply to stacks (devices that generate electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen).

A company representative said on-site, "After the new product demonstration is completed, there is an urgent need for linked support to help connect it to actual commercialization," adding, "Please prepare various sales channel support plans that fit the realities of companies for demonstration results with proven reliability." They also added, "Local SMEs face serious issues with research personnel mismatches and workforce attrition," and emphasized, "Although there are government-level personnel support systems, additional measures are necessary."

President Lee said, "We plan to actively prepare support policies from the demand-side perspective so that innovative SMEs in the hydrogen sector can grow," and added, "We will focus our capabilities on discovering customized support policies by expanding package-type support methods to ensure that on-site demonstration results lead to commercialization."

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