Ministry of SMEs and Startups Holds BIG3 Support Performance Sharing Meeting... Sharing Growth and Success Stories
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] This year, famous companies that made headlines in the '3 Major New Industries (BIG3)' sector, such as 'Mobilint', which ranked first in the domestic Google deep learning competition, 'Sistem', which received investment from a major pharmaceutical company with next-generation stem cell technology, and 'RideFlux', an autonomous driving software company providing autonomous shuttle services in Jeju Island, will gather in one place.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it will hold the '3 Major New Industries Performance Sharing Meeting' at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido on the 8th to review the achievements of BIG3 support this year.
In July last year, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups began focusing on nurturing companies in the BIG3 sectors, which are future new growth engines: system semiconductors, future cars, and biohealth. This year, a total of 250 companies?50 in system semiconductors, 130 in bio, and 70 in future cars?were selected through evaluations by experts and a public participation group, and are receiving customized support for commercialization funds, technology development (R&D), and policy funds.
In addition to one-on-one mentoring services provided by a professional mentor group consisting of about 500 people, including company executives and research institute PhDs, support has been provided to secure not only technological capabilities but also global competitiveness through collaboration opportunities with global conglomerates such as ARM and Hyundai Motor Company.
As a result, despite BIG3 support starting for the first time this year, the selected companies achieved an average sales increase of 62%, employment growth of 24%, and investment growth of 66%, along with 27 published papers and 323 domestic and international patent applications.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups prepared the performance sharing meeting to share the growth stories of these companies that had a successful year and to review support in the innovation sector this year. At the performance sharing meeting, outstanding companies will be awarded commendations from the Minister of SMEs and Startups.
Also, the 'BIG3 brand', symbolizing the Ministry’s commitment to supporting the BIG3 sectors and wishing for the innovative growth of 250 companies, will be unveiled. The brand image will be finalized through voting by the public participation group and BIG3 stakeholders, and the brand will be produced as a plaque and awarded to all 250 companies.
Cha Jung-hoon, Director of the Startup Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "The 3 Major New Industries are core sectors to realize the digital transformation and are expected to experience high growth, so bold support with selection and concentration is necessary. I hope that SMEs and startups in the BIG3 sectors will take pride in being responsible for Korea’s future and continue to grow infinitely, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will always be with them in that process."
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