Supporting Small Businesses Entering Online Markets... Recruiting for "Digital Specialized University for Small Business Owners"

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS) will be recruiting universities for the "2026 Digital Specialized University for Small Business Owners" program from April 30 to May 14, 2026.

Facade of the Small Enterprise and Market Service. SEMS

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The "Digital Specialized University" program utilizes the excellent infrastructure of universities to educate small business owners who wish to enter the online market on topics such as how to launch and operate online shopping malls.

This year, the recruitment scale has been expanded to 15 universities in total, reflecting the increased demand for small business owners to enter the online market, compared to last year’s recruitment scale of 10 universities. Any university that has departments or faculty members specializing in digital transformation or online sales channels is eligible to apply.

Three universities will be selected in each of five regions (Seoul·Gangwon, Gyeonggi·Incheon, Daejeon·Chungcheong, Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam, Gwangju·Jeju·Honam). Each university must design and propose a specialized curriculum centered on practical, hands-on education with a high degree of field applicability.

The selected universities will operate at least three training sessions by November 30, 2026, and must form classes based on the digital competency levels of small business owners. In addition, they are also expected to offer special lectures and additional mentoring programs aimed at strengthening the capabilities of small business owners.

Universities that are restricted from receiving student aid for the 2026 academic year, or institutions subject to participation restrictions in programs of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups or SEMAS, are not eligible to apply. Detailed information about the recruitment can be found on the "Small Business 24" portal or the SEMAS website.

Intae Yeon, Chairman of SEMAS, stated, "As the size of the online market is increasing every year, it is important to actively support small business owners’ entry into the online market," adding, "We will build a systematic digital education ecosystem so that small business owners can generate tangible sales results in the online market."

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