SME Technology Innovation Development Project Supported with 117.9 Billion KRW

Expansion of Support for Strategic Technology Sectors
Establishment of the 'Scale-up TIPS' Global Track

On the 16th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the launch of the "2025 SME Technology Development Support Project Recruitment Notice" to enhance the technological competitiveness of small and medium enterprises through strategic research and development (R&D) support.

The SME Technology Innovation Development Project supports business growth through R&D assistance tailored to different stages of innovation capability and rapid commercialization. This year, 779 new projects will be selected with a budget of 117.9 billion KRW.

First, to secure a competitive edge in the global technology hegemony race and future growth engines, the support ratio for strategic technology fields will be expanded to over 50%. To this end, 124 strategic items will be selected within the 13 strategic areas of SME venture R&D, strengthening the strategic nature of SME R&D.

Support for ‘Scale-up TIPS,’ where private investment companies (VCs) lead in verifying promising companies, invest first, and then recommend companies for technology development support, will also be expanded. A representative example is the establishment of the ‘Scale-up TIPS Global Track’ to enable companies to actively enter overseas markets through R&D support. Up to 1.5 billion KRW in R&D funds will be provided over three years to companies challenging global cooperation, overseas investment attraction, and overseas market entry beyond Korea.

Additionally, to help TIPS companies grow into Scale-up TIPS, regular meetings between successful TIPS companies and Scale-up TIPS operators will be planned, and extra points will be awarded to the ‘TIPS Company of the Year,’ thereby strengthening policy linkage and continuity.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups also plans to introduce ‘Global Cooperation-type R&D’ to enable SMEs and ventures to actively participate in international joint research, which had been mainly conducted by large corporations and research institutes. Support will be provided for domestic innovative companies to grow into global innovative companies through joint research with excellent overseas researchers and commercialization and business utilization of technologies held by leading overseas research institutions. In particular, this year, cooperation will begin based on networks with outstanding North American institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Purdue University, with plans to expand partner countries and research institutions in the future.

Park Yong-soon, Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “In 2025, we will focus on supporting future promising technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and carbon neutrality technologies, and strengthen cooperative R&D with globally excellent institutions to ensure that SME R&D achievements contribute to national competitiveness.”

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