Ministry of Science and ICT Recruits New Companies for "2026 SW High-Growth Club"

14 New Companies Selected, Up to 2 Years of Support
New "Export High-Growth" Track Established
Up to 500 Million Won Per Year for Overseas Expansion

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) announced on January 22 that they are recruiting new companies to support through the "2026 SW High-Growth Club" program, targeting domestic artificial intelligence (AI) and software (SW) companies with high growth potential. This year, the program will especially select companies aiming to enter overseas markets and provide up to 500 million won per company annually as project implementation funds.

The SW High-Growth Club is a program that selects domestic AI and SW companies with strong growth potential and provides focused support through autonomous project funding and global growth programs. The goal is to boost company sales, overseas expansion, investment attraction, and job creation. Applications are open from January 23 to February 23, and detailed information can be found in the announcement on the NIPA website.

Last year, 72 companies supported by this program achieved a total of 315.6 billion won in sales and 47.86 million dollars in exports, while creating 1,234 new jobs. The average export amount increased by approximately 84% compared to the previous year. In addition, two companies-Autocrypt, an automotive certification solution provider, and Nota, an on-device AI solution provider-were listed on KOSDAQ, demonstrating the program's success.

This year, the Ministry of Science and ICT and NIPA plan to support a total of 47 companies by newly selecting 14 promising AI and SW companies with high growth and innovation potential, in addition to the 33 companies already receiving ongoing support.

The selected companies will receive up to two years of project implementation funds, ranging from 300 million to 500 million won per year, to undertake challenging projects. In addition, they will receive close consulting from the "High-Growth PD" expert support group, which provides advice on global expansion, investment and marketing strategies, legal and intellectual property matters, and technology advancement. The program also offers networking opportunities with major domestic and international companies and investment attraction programs.

Notably, this year a new "Export High-Growth" track has been established to provide focused support to companies aiming to enter overseas markets. Companies selected for this track will receive up to 500 million won per year in project implementation funds, along with customized support for developing investment and marketing strategies tailored to overseas expansion.

Nam Cheolgi, Director of Software Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "The SW High-Growth Club is a flagship support program in the AI and SW sector that accelerates growth in sales, investment, and employment for companies. We will actively identify and support promising companies with high potential to continuously foster the growth of innovative companies, overseas expansion, and export growth."