"Up to 20 Billion KRW per Team"…Ministry of SMEs and Startups Invites Applications for DCP Ecosystem Innovation Program

Five Strategic Areas Including AI, Advanced Robotics, and Pharmaceuticals

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on January 7 that it will launch the "Deep Tech Challenge Project (DCP)" ecosystem innovation program, which supports collaborative technology development by multiple SMEs, including suppliers and demand companies.

The ecosystem innovation program provides up to 20 billion KRW (approximately 15 million USD) in R&D funding per project over four years to teams composed of multiple SMEs, investment institutions, universities and research institutes, as well as large and mid-sized companies.

Unlike traditional R&D projects, which support the development of individual technologies, the ecosystem innovation program aims to solve technological barriers and secure core leading technologies with significant industry-wide impact by enabling multiple companies to collaborate and simultaneously develop and demonstrate various technologies that form an ecosystem.

The Ministry plans to select five projects that can drive innovation in the domestic industrial ecosystem and create new global markets, focusing on five strategic areas directly linked to national competitiveness: AI and digital, advanced robotics and manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and bio, advanced materials and components, and carbon and energy. The selection will be made through a phased verification process.

First, the Ministry will select around eight technology development projects through a public call over approximately three months. The selected project teams will undergo a preliminary preparation process for up to six months, which includes technology and market validation (PoC, PoM), attracting more than 3 billion KRW (approximately 2.3 million USD) in private investment, and team refinement.

Next, from among the project teams that complete the preliminary preparation, five projects with proven business potential, technological feasibility, and innovation will be selected to receive up to 20 billion KRW (approximately 15 million USD) in full-scale R&D funding over four years.

Given the large scale of R&D investment, a specialized support system will also be introduced to ensure flexibility in responding to technological and market changes. Experts (PMs) with authority and responsibility for the projects will be involved from the discovery stage, through technology and market validation, team formation, and R&D execution, including support for goal adjustments and project termination through the "moving target" system.

Hwang Youngho, Director of Technology Innovation Policy, stated, "Providing 20 billion KRW for a single project is the first attempt in the history of SME R&D. The goal is not only to support individual companies, but also to solve ecosystem-wide technological challenges and transform the industrial landscape." He added, "We will discover the best projects worthy of this bold support, dedicate our policy capabilities, and create successful models."

The announcement period runs until April 7. Applications can be submitted via the Integrated Research Support System website, and an information session will be held on February 3 at Tipstown S1 in Yeoksam, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, as well as online.