Strengthening SME-Research Personnel Matching... 50% Salary Support Provided

On-Site Customized Training Support Project Launched for the First Time This Year

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 4th that through the 2024 SME Research Personnel Support Project, it plans to support 50% of the annual salary for about 340 companies when they hire science and engineering research personnel or receive specialized research personnel dispatched from public research institutions.

In addition, through the Research Personnel Innovation Centers, it plans to train about 400 research personnel and then connect their employment so that they can continue research at SMEs. The Research Personnel Innovation Centers are starting for the first time this year, and four centers nationwide are being recruited targeting regional innovation institutions, universities, associations, and national/public research institutions.

After the four nationwide Research Personnel Innovation Centers match SMEs with research personnel, the personnel will undergo an internship process for up to four months to discover research and development (R&D) projects, and after being hired by the respective company research institutes, they will be supported to carry out the projects for six months.

At the same time, companies in advanced technology fields such as national strategic industries will be given preferential treatment, and the project operation will be solidified through differentiation review of R&D tasks and thorough on-site inspections of new project targets. A matching web service between SMEs and research personnel will be supported to enhance convenience in securing research personnel.

From this year, the standard annual salary, which serves as the basis for the labor cost of new research personnel, has also been increased. For first-year bachelor's degree holders, it has been raised by 5 million KRW from 27 million KRW to 32 million KRW. When selecting new companies, factors such as whether flexible working hours are implemented and performance sharing between companies and workers will be reflected in the evaluation of the company's working environment.

The new support scale this year is about 310 companies for hiring support and about 30 companies for dispatch support, totaling around 340 companies, and the support targets are SMEs that have a ‘company-affiliated research institute’ or a ‘dedicated research and development department.’ SMEs wishing to participate can apply through the SME Technology Development Project Integrated Management System from February 5 to March 6.

Lee Dae-hee, Director of the SME Policy Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “As the manpower shortage in SMEs intensifies these days, securing research personnel is essential to increase the added value of companies,” and “Through this project reform, SMEs themselves will improve working conditions to make research personnel want to join, and through solid project operation, we will induce the strengthening of SMEs’ competitiveness.”