Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Announces Smart City Regulatory Sandbox Contest... Up to 500 Million KRW Support Per Project

Up to 500 Million KRW Supported Per Project... About Three to Be Selected
Fields Expanded to Energy, Environment, Housing, and More
"Lowering Regulatory Barriers to Provide Opportunities for Demonstrating Future Urban Technologies"

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will start accepting applications for the ‘Smart City Regulatory Sandbox’ contest from the 24th, supporting companies' innovation demonstrations by easing regulations on smart city technologies and services. Up to 500 million KRW in demonstration project funds will be provided per project. Approximately three outstanding projects are expected to be selected.

According to MOLIT, this contest expands the scope of regulatory exemptions support, which was previously concentrated in the transportation sector, to include housing/facilities, energy/environment, and other fields. Since the system was implemented in 2020, a total of 56 regulatory exemptions have been approved. This contest focuses on spreading technologies to solve a wider range of urban problems and enhancing citizens' perception of these solutions.

Applications for this contest will be accepted from April 17 to 24 and can be submitted by providing documents agreed upon with the demonstration local government. For companies that have not found a demonstration site, local government matching support is available. MOLIT will evaluate the projects based on innovation, feasibility of demonstration commencement, and appropriateness of project costs, selecting up to three demonstration projects and providing up to 500 million KRW per project along with partial coverage of liability insurance premiums.

An information session for the contest will be held on April 2 at Seoul Square. Both online and offline participation are available. Companies and organizations interested in participating can find detailed information on the websites of MOLIT, the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, and the Smart City Comprehensive Portal.

Yoon Young-jung, Director of the Urban Economy Division at MOLIT, stated, “We hope this contest will serve as a channel for companies to resolve regulatory issues and accelerate the development of future urban technologies,” adding, “We will continue our efforts to foster the smart city industry ecosystem.”