Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Recruiting Participants for '2022 Maker Star'

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 30th that it will hold the '2022 Korea Maker Star' for the first time this year to promote the maker culture.

This event is a maker competition that realizes ideas through creative making activities, not just a simple idea contest. So far, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups has expanded 213 'Maker Spaces' nationwide, which are open spaces equipped with equipment and facilities for manufacturing and creation. It has supported maker activities such as education, experience, and prototype production for 370,000 makers annually.

This competition was prepared to revitalize the maker culture, which has been subdued due to COVID-19. With the growing public interest and participation in the maker movement, the goals are to promote the use of maker spaces, prevent innovative ideas from being wasted, and boost maker morale.

Anyone in the public can apply individually or as a team of up to three members on a voluntary topic. Items aimed at improving public safety will be given preferential points, and the final 20 teams will be selected through document and presentation evaluations by a professional judging panel.

The selected teams will produce prototypes for three months with support from nationwide maker spaces (professional labs) established by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. They will also receive patent consulting and verification from patent experts to secure intellectual property rights for their items.

Afterward, based on the produced prototypes, the final evaluation will be conducted by a professional judging panel and a public judging panel to select the winning teams. A total prize of 48 million KRW will be awarded to 10 teams, and 20 teams will receive awards such as the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award and the Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office Award. Items with high business potential will also be linked to follow-up programs such as crowdfunding investment attraction and market development through accelerators.

Noh Yong-seok, Director of Startup Promotion Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "Creative and convergent maker activities that realize imagination into reality are an important factor in revitalizing innovative startups," adding, "We hope this competition will expand interest and participation among innovative makers and serve as an opportunity for the maker ecosystem to regain vitality."

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