Helping Ulsan SMEs Acquire Intellectual Property... 3-Year Average Export Up 12% and Sales Up 20%

Ulsan City, Intellectual Property Capacity Building Project 'Results'

Last Year, 486 Cases Supported at 243 Business Sites

Ulsan City’s ‘Intellectual Property (IP) Creation Support and IP-Based Startup and Growth Support Project,’ aimed at fostering local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enhancing the sustainability of industries, is showing positive results.

This project provides dedicated consultants who directly address strategies and challenges in patents, trademarks, and designs according to the growth stage of companies, from prospective entrepreneurs to export SMEs.

Through this project, Ulsan City supported the strengthening of intellectual property capabilities, a core of technological competitiveness, with 486 cases across 243 business sites last year.

Based on patent statistics and regional industry diagnosis, last year, 37 companies related to ‘core industries green and smart’ and 41 early-stage startups and prospective entrepreneurs possessing promising technologies in the ‘IT, energy, and environment’ sectors were selected and supported.

Additionally, through IP-based overseas expansion support, 153 SMEs expanding overseas have been selected and nurtured since 2009.

These companies showed an average export growth rate of 12.2%, sales growth of 20.3%, and employment growth of 9.9% over the past three years.

Furthermore, through the SME IP ‘Direct Support’ program that promptly resolves IP-related difficulties of SMEs, support was provided for design and brand development centered on restructured core industry companies such as electric vehicle parts and functional chemical materials, resulting in 71.4% of supported companies succeeding in commercialization.

An official from Ulsan City stated, “By supporting intellectual property applications and rights acquisition, local SMEs are strengthening their IP capabilities and overcoming IP issues in the early stages of startups, helping them to enter the market stably.”