Ministry of SMEs selects 47 promising SMEs in semiconductor and bio future core industries

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Minjae] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 4th that it has selected 47 promising small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the future core industries of semiconductors and bio sectors for support projects under the ‘SME Technology Innovation Development Project.’

The ‘SME Technology Innovation Development Project’ is an R&D program that supports small and venture companies with 600 million to 2 billion KRW over 2 to 4 years to help them secure growth engines by enhancing their technological competitiveness.

The 47 selected companies fall under the categories of ▲Strong Small Enterprises 100 ▲Market Expansion Type ▲Materials, Parts, and Equipment (SoBuJang) Strategy within the SME Technology Innovation Development Project.

In the semiconductor and display sectors, many projects aimed at securing a super-gap advantage were selected, focusing on semiconductor design technology and equipment localization. There were many selected projects in the fabless, packaging, and testing fields, which are core to system semiconductors.

In the fabless sector, 7 projects were selected, including those for 5G communication semiconductors, high-performance SoCs for ultra-high-speed video recognition, and development of high-reliability measurement sensors.

In the packaging and testing sector, 9 projects related to manufacturing and inspection equipment were selected, such as plasma processing devices for packaging and probe head technology for inspection.

In the bio sector, many promising future projects were also selected. Six projects related to new drug development were chosen, including cell therapy development and discovery of candidate substances for cancer and hereditary neurological disease treatments. Additionally, 11 projects in the healthcare field were selected, including diagnostic devices for major diseases such as stroke and cancer cells, and deep learning-based oral disease diagnostic services.

Jang Daegyo, Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “The Ministry will focus on fostering promising SMEs that will lead future core industries such as semiconductors and bio, thereby enhancing the potential growth capacity of small and venture companies.”

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