Promoting Digital Transformation for Small Businesses... Ministry of SMEs Hosts Smart Technology Competition

Recruitment of Small Business Owners Wishing to Adopt from September, Divided into Food Service, Wholesale and Retail, and Service and Others

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 16th that it will hold the "Small Business Smart Technology Competition" to promote the digital transformation of small business owners.

Food placed in a serving robot
Photo by Asia Economy DB

This competition targets supplier companies capable of distributing technology to small business establishments. It will proceed by recommending excellent smart technology packages specialized by industry, selecting outstanding models, and then awarding them. For example, the restaurant model may include a package of serving robots, table orders, and customer point management applications.

Applications will be accepted in three categories: food service, wholesale and retail, and service & others. One outstanding model will be selected each from the food service and wholesale & retail sectors, and two from the service & others sector. Among the total of four outstanding models, the top two models based on evaluation results will be awarded the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award to the proposing companies.

For the four models selected this time, small business owners wishing to adopt them will be recruited starting in September. The government will support up to 70% of the costs, up to 12 million KRW per store, for approximately 200 small business establishments.

Lee Dae-geon, Director of Small Business Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "Until now, the smart store project simply distributed smart devices, but going forward, we will expand the method of distributing highly effective package technologies by integrating them. We will actively support small business owners to adopt digital convergence technologies to strengthen their competitiveness and grow into small enterprises."

Detailed information about the project application can be found on the website of the Small Enterprise and Market Service, a specialized institution.