The Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups announced on the 4th that it is recruiting a consortium, consisting of local governments, merchants, and commercial planners, to participate in the '2025 Neighborhood Commercial Development Support Project.' The application period is from the 5th to the 12th of next month.
The Neighborhood Commercial Development Support Project helps stakeholders lead in solving problems in neighborhood commercial areas and in researching and planning business strategies. It was introduced in 2023 and has supported a total of 25 commercial areas to date.
The project has two types: strategy establishment and networking, and applicants can choose one to apply for. Duplicate applications are not permitted.
The strategy establishment type establishes a five-year strategy for neighborhood commercial activation through governance building and local archiving. About eight commercial consortiums will be selected, with a maximum support of 1.5 billion won. To apply, the lead organization, such as a commercial planner, must form a consortium with local governments, merchants, and residents to establish a preliminary commercial area that includes at least 30 stores.
The networking type, newly established this year, supports networking among alley merchants to enhance the competitiveness of commercial areas. About five alley commercial consortiums will be selected, with a maximum of 30 million won in support. To apply, the lead organization, such as a commercial planner, must form a consortium with merchants to establish a preliminary commercial area with at least 15 stores, and participation from local governments is not mandatory.
To assist applicants in understanding the program, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups is scheduled to hold an informational session on the project on the 13th at 2 p.m. at the Small Business Market Promotion Corporation's training center in Daejeon.
Lee Dae-geon, head of the Small Business Policy Division at the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups, said, "In the face of local extinction crises and challenges of declining alley commercial areas, small neighborhood commercial units often fail to organize, making it difficult to access government support projects. I hope this project will serve as a catalyst for revitalizing alley commercial areas."