Experts Visit to Solve SME Challenges... Ministry of SMEs and Startups Launches 'Business Support Team On-Site Clinic' Program

Applications Open from April 27

Experts in 12 Fields to Visit Companies for Up to 7 Days

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency will officially launch the “2026 Business Support Team On-Site Clinic” program at the end of this month to address the management and technological challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small business owners.

This program not only provides consultation via phone or visits to regional offices, but also sends field-specific experts directly to companies to deliver a comprehensive service—from business diagnosis to tailored solutions—on-site.

The support targets micro-enterprises and prospective entrepreneurs as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises. Certain industries, such as speculative businesses, lodging, and insurance, are excluded. The areas of support include 12 categories: start-ups, finance and funding, accounting and taxation, technology, production management, import/export, legal affairs, human resources and labor, business strategy, information technology, marketing and design, and patents.

For the fields of start-ups, import/export, and technology, experts will visit on-site for up to 7 days, while for other fields, the maximum is 3 days. Of the 350,000 won consulting fee, the government will cover 80%.

Companies wishing to participate in the on-site clinic can make inquiries through the call center without an area code, the Business Support Team website, or by visiting local SMEs and Startups offices. A specialist suited to the company’s needs will provide tailored consulting, based on recommendations from the counseling committee.

This year, the program has moved away from the single-agency operation of last year and expanded implementing agencies to both the Korea Management Consulting Association and the Korea Productivity Center, thereby strengthening the pool of experts. The aim is to improve the quality and speed of consulting by encouraging customized services and healthy competition between agencies.

Starting this year, an artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic report, which analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of SMEs to recommend customized support programs, will also be provided. The AI diagnosis utilizes more than 19 million corporate data records held by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency and others to conduct non-face-to-face business diagnoses, analyze management performance and internal capabilities, and recommend suitable programs for each company.

Lee Soon-bae, Policy Planning Director at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "The core of this program is that experts visit companies directly to identify and resolve on-site issues that cannot be easily addressed through visits to regional offices or phone consultations. From the second half of this year, we will further expand the areas of support to include artificial intelligence transformation (AX), digital transformation (DX), environmental, social and transparent management (ESG), carbon neutrality, climate technology, and technology protection, thereby strengthening our field-driven policies that reflect corporate demand."

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