The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) said on the 30th that they launched the "Jump-up program Seoul, Incheon and Gangwon regional council" and held a roundtable at Space Share Seoul Station Center.
The Jump-up program is a package initiative that supports promising midsize companies in entering new businesses and new markets and in scaling up. In Mar., 100 corporations were selected: 34 in the Gyeongsang region, 26 in the Gyeonggi region, 19 in the Seoul, Incheon and Gangwon region, and 21 in the Chungcheong and Jeolla region.
The selected corporations can receive benefits for three years, including ▲ "Scale-up directing," which manages strategy development and execution such as technology and management consulting ▲ "Open voucher," which supports commercialization expense needed to enter new businesses and new markets ▲ "Networking program," which offers opportunities to attract investment and to expand globally ▲ linkage to government support programs such as research and development (R&D), loan and guarantees.
At the roundtable were present Kwon Sun-jae, director general for regional corporations policy at the ministry, Ban Jeong-sik, director of regional innovation at KOSME, and about 20 participants including CEOs and executives from 10 corporations participating in the Jump-up program in the Seoul, Incheon and Gangwon region.
The corporations also proposed strengthening linked support and expanding the scope of voucher use. The ministry and KOSME said they would reflect on-site needs through improvements to related systems.
The ministry plans to use the regional councils of the Jump-up program's selected corporations by area as a venue for collaboration that strengthens on-site communication and seeks solutions. To that end, it will operate programs that not only listen to difficulties in pursuing new businesses but also share global and industry issues through specialized institutions and offer policy linkage consultations.
Ban Jeong-sik, KOSME's director of regional innovation, said, "This year, we will pilot the regional councils in four areas and then make them regular after gathering corporations' opinions," adding, "Based on the councils' activities, we will support the Jump-up program's selected corporations so they can leap to become mid-sized corporations."