Ministry of SMEs and Startups Supports Prototype Production Collaboration Between Regional Startups and Small Manufacturers

Recruiting Companies for the 'Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot Project'

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on March 19 that it is recruiting companies to participate in the 'Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot Project' to promote manufacturing startups based in local regions.

This project, with a budget of 4.2 billion won, is a collaborative program in which startups and small manufacturers form a consortium to jointly develop and produce prototypes. Startups and small manufacturers work together throughout the entire process, from project planning and product design to prototype production.

Startups propose ideas and market perspectives, while small manufacturers realize products based on their accumulated experience and craftsmanship. In particular, both parties frequently exchange opinions and jointly adjust the direction of design and manufacturing, thereby enhancing the completeness of the product. This approach enables flexible responses to various challenges encountered at the manufacturing site.

The eligible participants are consortia composed of startups with manufacturing ideas and small manufacturers capable of prototype production. Both companies must be located in the same or adjacent cities and provinces outside the capital region.

Selected consortia will each receive up to 100 million won in government funding in the form of vouchers. In addition, the Center for Creative Economy & Innovation will participate as the project management organization, providing tailored mentoring to each consortium and closely supporting them by monitoring collaboration progress and difficulties. In particular, the project goals and detailed plans will be flexibly managed so that design changes and on-site manufacturing feedback required during prototype development can be quickly incorporated. This is expected to enable even more precise responses to on-site needs.

Furthermore, consortia that demonstrate outstanding collaborative performance will receive follow-up support in connection with leading domestic private platforms such as Kakao Makers and Wadiz. This will help ensure that ideas originating in the regions do not stop at prototype production, but can also lead to new sales channels. Companies wishing to participate in the Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot Project can apply online through the Innovation Voucher Platform from March 20 to April 3.

Kwon Soonjae, Director of Regional Business Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, "This pilot project is a collaborative model in which startups and small manufacturers in the region combine their respective strengths to create new products and market opportunities together. We will actively support the connection of creative regional ideas with on-site manufacturing capabilities so that they can lead to tangible business outcomes."

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