Recruitment of SMEs Participating in Smart Service Support Project

Supporting Business Innovation Through Digital Transformation

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 31st that it is recruiting companies to participate in the 'SME Smart Service Support Project.'

This project, which has been promoted since 2020 to support the innovative growth of service SMEs through digital transformation (DX), supports the use of advanced information and communication technology (ICT) necessary for creating new services (BM) and improving service quality.

From 2020 to 2023, a total of 621 companies were supported over four years to build solutions for three types of internal and external service innovations, including business transformation to non-face-to-face and online methods, solving public issues, and improving efficiency in work automation, logistics, and customer management.

Starting this year, to strengthen support for the innovative growth of service SMEs, including building digital transformation (DX) solutions for core service tasks of companies, solutions will be supported in two categories: ▲ creation of new services (BM) and ▲ improvement of service delivery systems.

A total of 165 companies will be selected and supported, including 150 for new construction and 15 for advancement. In the case of advancement, companies with excellent new construction performance through this project from 2020 to 2023 will be selected to support solution function improvements or service scope expansion.

Applications for participation in the project are only possible if SMEs wishing to introduce smart services form a consortium with supplier companies that have the capability to build solutions. Kim Woo-soon, Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “So far, digital transformation (DX) in the domestic SME service sector has been centered on building solutions to respond to non-face-to-face and online transitions. Now is the time to expand into high value-added creation areas,” adding, “We will actively support the innovative growth of service SMEs by strengthening digital transformation support such as creating new and additional services, as well as discovering and spreading ‘digital service innovation companies.’”