Jungjingong, Inauguration Ceremony of the 1st Class of 'Digital Living Lab Frontier'

Public Institution, University, and Corporate Collaboration Program

Panoramic View of the Small and Medium Business Corporation

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The Small and Medium Business Corporation announced on the 22nd that it will hold the inauguration ceremony for the 1st class of the 'Digital Living Lab Frontier,' a citizen-participatory community innovation activity.

The inauguration ceremony will be held at the 100th Anniversary Hall of Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology in Jinju, Gyeongnam. The Small and Medium Business Corporation and Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology jointly operate the Digital Living Lab Frontier program, a living lab-style social innovation activity where local stakeholders collaborate to research and solve community issues together.

The Small and Medium Business Corporation operates a platform for conducting digital and non-face-to-face living labs. Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology offers a non-curricular course composed of learning and project activities for university student teams. The local social economy enterprise, Cooperative Jageun Siseon, carries out social innovation projects together with the students.

This year, the first project focuses on improving mobility conditions for transportation-vulnerable groups. They will identify barrier-free spots for the elderly and disabled, develop barrier-free travel courses in Gyeongnam, and share them with the community through magazines, applications, and videos.

Public institutions (Small and Medium Business Corporation), universities (Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology), and enterprises (Cooperative Jageun Siseon), as stakeholders of the local community, will collaborate and communicate to solve community problems. It is expected to create social innovation outcomes that local residents can experience.

Kim Hakdo, Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Corporation, said, "The Digital Living Lab Frontier inauguration ceremony is a promise to the community by the key players of community innovation, including public institutions, schools and students, and companies, to solve social problems together." He added, "The Small and Medium Business Corporation will continue social responsibility management activities for regional development, such as win-win cooperation and economic revitalization, by collaborating with various members of the local community."