Promoting Busan as a Smart, Advanced Coffee Industry Hub
Selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' 'Local Industry Collaboration Project'
17.14 Billion KRW to Be Invested Over Two Years
Busan City is steadily advancing its ‘Coffee City’ project by securing government funding.
Busan City (Mayor Park Hyung-jun) announced on the 3rd that Yeongdo-gu’s ‘Coffee Industry Ecosystem R&D Cluster Establishment Project’ was finally selected in the ‘City/County/District Local Industry Promotion Collaboration Project’ contest hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, securing 1.2 billion KRW in national funding.
This project aims to discover local industry models in population-declining areas to support the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises and address the issue of regional extinction.
The ‘Coffee Industry Cluster’ project selected through the contest targets Yeongdo-gu and involves establishing an industry-academia linked platform to utilize it. The plan includes ▲utilizing a smart coffee logistics platform ▲advancing coffee industry products through coffee R&D innovation and modernization ▲developing and operating coffee tourism and hit products, and supporting marketing of developed products, thereby creating a sustainable coffee industry specialized cluster ecosystem through a virtuous cycle.
Yeongdo-gu grew as a regional base industry with ship repair and shipbuilding, but due to industrial structural changes and regional aging, population decline and aging have continued. Accordingly, it has been designated as a population-declining area along with Dong-gu and Seo-gu in Busan under the Special Act on Balanced National Development.
Yeongdo-gu has spatial infrastructure such as ‘Blueport2021,’ a coffee complex cultural space, and ‘Bongrae Kkti,’ a coffee specialty open lab, and regularly hosts the world-renowned coffee event ‘Global Yeongdo Coffee Festival.’ Additionally, with Busan Port nearby, it has competitiveness as a coffee logistics hub.
Busan City, with Yeongdo-gu and Busan Technopark as the lead institutions and Dong-A University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation participating, will invest a total budget of 1.714 billion KRW, including 1.2 billion KRW in national funding, over two years to promote the ‘Coffee Industry Ecosystem R&D Cluster Establishment Project.’
The project budget consists of 1.2 billion KRW in national funds, 257 million KRW from city funds, and 257 million KRW from district funds.
Specifically, first, a coffee collaboration system will be established by utilizing data coffee and professional technical advisors linked with the ‘SCA Korea Chapter.’ Second, systematic traceability throughout the entire process from production to consumption will secure trust between logistics contract parties and simplify transaction processes, reducing time and costs to strengthen coffee industry data capabilities.
Third, by upgrading products in the coffee upstream and downstream industries and linking with regional tourism resources for commercialization, the project plans to enhance production line efficiency and competitiveness through technology transfer and startup support for prospective entrepreneurs.
Fourth, a settlement support program for foreigners will be operated to provide foreign employment consulting and language and cultural education.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun of Busan said, “A new growth future industry that integrates the coffee industry and culture is necessary as a strategy to overcome the regional extinction crisis,” adding, “With the selection of this contest project, Busan will lead innovation in the coffee industry by utilizing advanced technologies such as blockchain-based smart coffee logistics and AI-based green bean data analysis, envisioning the future as a smart coffee city.”
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