The government will step in to help small business owners promote joint projects through cooperatives and boost their competitiveness.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 8th that from the 9th it will recruit small business cooperatives to participate in the 2026 "Small business collaboration activation project."
This project is being pursued to achieve economies of scale through collaboration among small business owners and to enhance the competitiveness of cooperatives and their members. Eligible organizations include cooperatives, federations, and autonomous commercial district cooperatives composed of at least five members, with at least 50% of the members being small business owners.
Selected organizations will receive support for collaborative projects such as joint production and sales, technology development, marketing, and brand development.
In this year's project, in addition to the existing growth-stage support, a new "innovation growth" stage was introduced. Accordingly, cooperatives can receive customized support by stage, such as growth–leap–innovation growth, and up to 300 million won will be provided at the innovation growth stage.
In the selection process for cooperatives, preferential criteria that consider social value and region-based cooperation will also be applied. Cooperatives that work to solve social problems, cooperatives that form consortia with social solidarity economy organizations or large and small companies, and cooperatives whose members' enterprises are located in the same area (city/county/district) will receive preference in the evaluation.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to strengthen the social role of cooperatives and expand region-based growth models to help revitalize local economies.
Kim Jeong-ju, small business policy director at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "In a difficult economic situation, individual small business owners are struggling to run their businesses alone," and added, "We will actively pursue the identification and nurturing of cooperatives so that small business owners can build self-sustainability through organization via cooperatives."
The project notice can be found on the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) website from the 9th, and cooperatives wishing to participate should apply online through "Small business 24" and the small business collaboration activation website.