Ministry of SMEs and Startups Announces New Recruitment for Local Content Focused Universities

Fostering Local Creative Small Business Owners in Collaboration with Universities

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 26th that it is recruiting new participating universities for the ‘Local Content Focused University’ project aimed at nurturing creative local small business owners (local creators).

The Ministry has been operating this project since last year to utilize regional universities as hubs for non-technical entrepreneurship and small business innovation, develop differentiated local content, and foster creative local talent.

The selection scale this time is around six universities in total, and both junior colleges, universities, and graduate schools can apply.

Selected universities will receive up to 300 million KRW in project funds necessary for developing and operating local entrepreneurship-related curricula. Depending on the characteristics of each university, they can autonomously operate ‘curricular courses’ such as local entrepreneurship-related departments, interdisciplinary departments, minors, and linked majors, as well as ‘extracurricular courses’ such as local entrepreneurship practice, prototype development, and entrepreneurship clubs.

Students completing the curriculum can combine their majors in business, socio-cultural studies, design, etc., with minors related to local entrepreneurship to develop creative business models. They can also participate in various programs such as local content startup idea competitions, integrated seminars, and performance sharing events to enhance their business models and have opportunities for mutual exchange.

Universities wishing to participate in this project can apply through the Small Enterprise and Market Service website or the Small Business 24 website from December 26 to January 22.

Lee Dae-geon, Director of Small Business Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “We expect that local creators nurtured through the Local Content Focused University will grow into entrepreneurial small business owners based on creativity and innovation, creating new jobs and contributing to the revitalization of the regional economy.”