Ministry of SMEs and Startups Launches New Projects Including 'SME Smart Service Support'

Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Overview of Projects for Realizing Smart Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 24th that it will create an opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take the lead in realizing a 'Smart Korea' by utilizing new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data.

First, as a new project this year, the ministry will promote the 'SME Smart Service Support Project.' This project supports the establishment of a smart service infrastructure for SMEs by implementing information and communication technology (ICT) solutions throughout the entire production and distribution process of products and services. Through this, SMEs are expected to enable pre-diagnosis and demand forecasting, thereby establishing a proactive service foundation.

Additionally, through the 'AI-based High Value-added New Product Technology Development Project,' AI technology will be integrated into existing traditional products. The project supports the development of new and differentiated high value-added products. It is anticipated to contribute to the formation of a virtuous ecosystem where AI-applied products expand and the sales of AI-specialized companies increase.

The ministry will also promote the 'Big Data-based Service Development Research and Development (R&D) Project.' This project supports the development of innovative service models utilizing various private and public big data to help SMEs secure competitiveness in new industrial fields. It is expected to strengthen SMEs' big data technological capabilities and secure competitiveness in new industrial sectors.

When implementing individual new projects, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will establish a cooperation system among companies performing tasks through each project and collaboration among related government departments. Through open innovation, it will actively support the formation of consortia and cooperative tasks so that SMEs can carry out projects, and plans to discover representative cases for each project.

Lee Dooyeon, Secretary of the Technology Policy Division at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "When implementing the smart service project, we will support the construction of customized ICT solutions for companies after conducting demand surveys and field evaluations, and discover common specialized solutions by type." He added, "We plan to introduce a national evaluation group system for R&D projects, allowing the public to directly participate in selecting support tasks, prioritizing those closely related to citizens' lives and capable of solving social problems."