The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) said on the 12th that they selected 10 smart construction technology demonstration support projects and 12 smart construction small but strong companies to spur the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction industry and foster leading companies that will drive automation and off-site construction.
The Smart Construction Alliance technology demonstration support project provides the actual construction sites of large and mid-tier companies and supports expense for small and medium-sized companies that have developed excellent smart construction technologies, products, and services but struggle to secure sites. The Smart Construction Alliance is a consultative body led by about 380 smart construction corporations and supported by academia, research institutes, and the public sector.
Support is provided up to 25 million won, and to ensure sufficient demonstration, selection of targets will be completed in the first half so that demonstrations can proceed for six months in the second half.
In the demand-based category (six), technologies such as a rotational SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) equipment-based inspection technology for cracks in underground sections of apartment complexes, and an intelligent edge camera and VLM (vision-language model) linked solution for detecting and analyzing hazardous construction work were selected.
In the self-proposed category (four), technologies such as a construction site surplus resource circulation and carbon management system and a vision AI-based technology for uniformizing ready-mixed concrete quality were selected. The demonstration results of the selected technologies will be shared through presentations at the 2026 Smart Construction EXPO in November.
The smart construction small but strong company selection and support project is a project to select small and medium-sized companies with smart construction technology development capabilities and high growth potential and support them to grow into competitive corporations. Support includes prototype production (up to 30 million won), small but strong company disclosure (KISCON), and technology demonstration.
Until last year, 20 companies were selected each year for three years, but this year 12 were chosen, focusing on corporations with competitiveness and growth potential. This year's small but strong companies include ITONE, which provides a smart construction safety platform; Hansung Modular, which produces integrated panels; and KCT ENC, which provides a smart collapse risk monitoring system for underground shadow areas. On the 15th, a smart construction small but strong company roundtable will be held for this year's designees to present designation certificates and to listen to difficulties and explore corporate support measures.