Daejeon Secures Funding to Support Defense and Space Startups Using 3D Printing

20 Billion Won Secured Including National Funding
Support for Testing and Certification for Related Companies

Aerial view of Daejeon City Hall (Photo by Seokbong Mo)

Daejeon City has been selected for a regional advanced manufacturing startup scaling-up support project, securing a total of 2 billion won (including 1.4 billion won from the national government). This project targets defense and space manufacturing demand companies as well as 3D printing manufacturing suppliers, offering support such as technical consulting, prototype production, product advancement, reliability testing and certification, and investment assistance.

This program, overseen by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and managed by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, aims to help technology-based startups move beyond prototype manufacturing to include testing, certification, investment linkage, and market entry. Its primary goal is to address difficulties faced by manufacturing startups at each stage of their growth.

Led by Daejeon Technopark, the project will select 20 defense and space startups in the region and provide a full-cycle support program utilizing 3D printing technology, including product advancement, prototype and pilot production, technical guidance, testing and certification, and investment linkage.

Through this initiative, the city expects to shorten the productization period for startups, foster an advanced manufacturing industrial ecosystem in the region, and ease barriers to entry for defense and space industry startups in the early market stages.

Kim Wooyeon, President of Daejeon Technopark, stated, "We will actively support defense and space startups so that, by leveraging our globally competitive 3D printing infrastructure, they can go beyond technology development to actual product manufacturing and market entry."

Yoo Sejong, Director of Future Strategic Industries at Daejeon City, commented, "Daejeon's foundation in defense and space industries is being further strengthened by the clustering of major research institutes and the relocation of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. We expect this project to help create an environment where startups can establish themselves and grow stably, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the regional defense and space industries."

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