On the 10th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it has selected a total of 52 corporations for the '2025 Global Cooperation R&D' phase 1 preliminary research to conduct joint technology development (R&D) with global leading research institutions.
Global cooperation R&D is a project in which global leading research institutions and Korean small and medium-sized enterprises conduct R&D together. It was introduced for the first time this year to enhance the global technological competitiveness of SMEs and promote entry into overseas markets.
The global leading research institutions participating in the preliminary research include Purdue University, which has five major engineering schools in the U.S.; the Fraunhofer Society, the largest applied research institution in Europe; and the Steinbeis Foundation, which supports corporate demand-based problem-solving R&D.
A total of 52 research projects were selected in ten ultra-gap fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), bio, and semiconductors. The three global research institutions will propose projects to SMEs that require joint R&D based on their respective strengths, from which domestic SMEs will choose.
The selected projects will undergo phase 1 preliminary research for about six months. They will establish strategic collaboration plans with overseas partner organizations, set up research and development roadmaps and phase-wise development goals, and plan detailed research projects. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will support 110 million won in R&D expenses to the selected corporations for the phase 1 preliminary research. Subsequently, phase 2 full-scale research will be supported for projects that demonstrate excellence in preliminary research through competition.
Park Yong-soon, the Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "Global cooperation R&D is an opportunity for SMEs to secure global-level technological competitiveness in collaboration with world-class research institutions," adding, "We will actively support our innovative small and medium-sized enterprises to enter the global market by expanding the cooperative system with global leading research institutions to Europe and Asia."