Ministry of SMEs and Startups Announces Technology Commercialization R&D for Large and Small Enterprises... 10 Billion Won in Total Support

Third Announcement: Purchase-Linked and Win-Win Cooperation Tracks

Up to 600 Million Won in R&D Funding per Project for Two Years

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will provide support for commercialization-focused technology R&D (research and development) based on cooperation between large and small-to-medium-sized enterprises, with a total budget of 10 billion won. The initiative is designed to bridge the technological maturity gap between supply and demand companies by supporting the entire technology commercialization cycle, from planning to market entry.

On the 25th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the '2026 3rd Implementation Plan for Public-Private Joint Technology Commercialization R&D' to accelerate the technology commercialization of small and medium-sized enterprises.

This is a follow-up to the 1st and 2nd implementation plans announced in the first half of the year, and constitutes the recruitment of new projects for the 'Purchase-Linked and Win-Win Cooperation' track in the second half, which supports SMEs' technology development in line with the demands of buyers or investing companies.

Through the first-half announcement, the Ministry recruited a total of 394 new projects with a combined budget of 50.1 billion won, thereby establishing a foundation for supporting the full cycle of technology commercialization.

The 1st and 2nd announcements in the first half allocated funding to three tracks: ▲200 projects for Technology Transfer Commercialization (20 billion won), ▲100 projects for 'TRL (Technology Readiness Level) Jump-Up', which supports the commercialization of promising public technologies at the laboratory stage (10 billion won), and ▲94 projects for Purchase-Linked and Win-Win Cooperation (20.1 billion won).

The 'Purchase-Linked and Win-Win Cooperation' track, the focus of this third announcement, is a public-private partnership R&D program in which technology development is promoted after confirming the intention to purchase or invest by buyer companies or investing firms from the initial development stage. It provides tailored support for technology development based on the needs of demand-side companies and continues through to securing sales channels.

This announcement will support a total of 105 projects with a total budget of 10 billion won. Each project can receive up to 600 million won in government R&D funding for a maximum of two years. The support is divided into two categories: ▲Purchase-Linked and ▲Win-Win Cooperation.

The Purchase-Linked type supports SMEs in developing technologies or products needed by buyer companies and facilitates actual purchases. This includes an innovative challenge track, in which SMEs develop technologies based on RFPs (Request for Proposals) directly proposed by demand-side companies, including large and mid-sized enterprises.

The Win-Win Cooperation type supports technology development for products with investment demand from investing companies. The government and investing companies, such as large and mid-sized enterprises or public institutions, jointly provide up to 1.2 billion won in R&D funding. Large enterprises and public corporations match government investment at a 1:1 ratio, while mid-sized companies match at a 2:3 ratio.

Companies wishing to participate can apply online via the Integrated Research Support System website from June 15 to June 29 at 6 p.m. Detailed announcement content and application procedures can be found on the websites of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs.

Hwang Youngho, Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry, stated, "It is most important that the R&D achievements of SMEs translate into actual sales," and added, "We will focus policy efforts to enable SMEs to secure clear competitiveness in the market through demand-based customized R&D and stable sales channel support."

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