Pohang City Achieves Final Selection in Ministry of Agriculture Foodtech Research Support Center Competition

Nation's First Food Tech Research Support Center Public Project

Convergence Technology Business District, Total Investment of 15.5 Billion KRW

Mayor Lee, "Best Efforts for Securing Cutting-Edge Technology and Balanced Development"

On the 24th, Pohang City was finally selected for the ‘Food Tech Research Support Center’ project led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, securing 5.2 billion KRW in national funding.

Aerial view of the Food Tech Research Support Center.

This project involves the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs establishing research support centers in key fields (food robots, plant-based alternative foods, food upcycling) among the 10 core technologies to foster the food tech industry, with Pohang being the first to be selected in the food robot sector.

The 10 core technologies include ▲cell-cultured food production technology ▲plant-based food manufacturing ▲ready meal manufacturing ▲food printing ▲smart manufacturing ▲distribution ▲food upcycling ▲food customizing ▲eco-friendly packaging ▲food robots.

The ‘Food Tech Research Support Center’ will have a total project cost of 15.5 billion KRW, including 5.2 billion KRW in national funding, and will be established from this year through 2026 in the Pohang Convergence Technology Business District (site area 6,636㎡), featuring spaces such as company residency areas, technology demonstration centers, and kitchen incubating facilities.

Once the center is built, it will provide customized support for prototype development using facilities and equipment, as well as for technology development and demonstration research areas that have high demand from companies.

Additionally, by supporting the production of prototypes certified by NSF (National Sanitation Foundation, USA) for the first time domestically and covering testing and analysis fees, the center will reduce the burden on companies and provide a stepping stone for entering overseas markets such as the United States and Europe.

Furthermore, from the early stages of food robot technology development, the center will apply technology development tailored to the needs and conditions of dining establishments, and will advance to implement customized kitchen automation by type of dining business, thereby establishing a future-oriented K-Kitchen ecosystem.

Moreover, fostering food tech companies is expected to enable the concurrent growth of various upstream and downstream industries, not only in food-related sectors but also in smart manufacturing, kitchen materials and equipment companies, and the dining industry.

To be selected for this public project, Pohang City collaborated with related organizations such as Gyeongbuk Province and POSTECH to proactively promote the development of the food tech industry.

Last year, efforts included ▲selection of Pohang University of Science and Technology for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ food tech contract department ▲launch of the Food Tech Industry-Academia Cooperation K-Kitchen Promotion Committee ▲introduction of food tech robot automation systems in collective catering facilities.

As a result, Gyeongbuk Pohang was reflected as a model case in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ Food Industry Promotion Basic Plan (2023?2027), and this selection has laid the foundation for fostering the food tech industry.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “Being the first nationwide to be selected for the Food Tech Research Support Center is an achievement that Pohang has continuously pursued for new industry development and industrial structure diversification,” adding, “Based on this, we will do our best to establish a national food tech innovation cluster, secure cutting-edge industry technologies, and enable Pohang to play a pivotal role in balanced regional development.”

According to survey results, the expected economic impact of operating this center is analyzed to generate 38.2 billion KRW in production inducement, 16.7 billion KRW in added value, and 261 jobs, which is anticipated to contribute to revitalizing the Pohang regional economy.