Support Available Starting from the 24th of This Month
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 23rd that it is recruiting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the first round of the general track and the fast track of the '2025 Overseas Standard Certification Acquisition Support Project.'
The Overseas Standard Certification Acquisition Support Project is a program that supports SMEs wishing to export by covering part of the costs (50%~70%) required for obtaining overseas standard certifications demanded by export target countries such as the European CE and the US FDA, including certification fees, testing fees, and consulting fees, up to a maximum of 100 million KRW per company.
The project consists of a fast track that supports rapid certification acquisition and a general track that recruits three times a year for 541 other certifications. The fast track target certifications include eight types such as European CE (in the fields of electrical/electronics, communications, and machinery), US FCC (electrical/electronics), and international IECEE (electrical/electronics). The fast track accepts applications on a rolling basis from the 24th of this month to August 29th, while the first round of the general track recruits from the 24th of this month to March 28th.
Notably, this year, US FDA cosmetic registration has been added to the fast track target certifications. This decision was made considering the record-high export performance of SMEs' cosmetics last year and a 46.5% increase in exports to the US compared to the previous year.
Additionally, even if applying for the maximum number of four cases, if the total application amount is less than 35 million KRW, support will be available without limitation on the number of applications within the 35 million KRW limit. Previously, companies applying for small certification amounts received limited support even when applying for the maximum number, but this change will enable more support for cosmetics and electrical/electronics companies that require small amounts but have many product types.
No Yong-seok, Director of the SME Policy Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "As global protectionism intensifies, the need for SMEs to proactively prepare for and respond to overseas certifications is increasing. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will strengthen export support for SMEs through the Overseas Standard Certification Acquisition Support Project."
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