Small Enterprise and Market Service Signs MOU on "Local Content-Focused Universities" with 15 Regional Universities

Fostering Young Local Entrepreneurs and Upgrading Regional Brands through Collaboration
Combining University Education Infrastructure with Local Resources

Small Enterprise and Market Service signed a business agreement with 15 regional universities to combine universities' specialized education programs with local industries, create a region-based startup ecosystem, and foster young entrepreneurs.

Small Enterprise and Market Service announced on the 24th that it signed a '2026 Local Content Focus University Memorandum of Understanding' with 15 regional universities on the afternoon of the 23rd at Daejeon Diseuteisyeon SV Geuraundeu.

Small Enterprise and Market Service announced on the 24th that it had signed a "2026 Memorandum of Understanding on Local Content-Focused Universities" with 15 regional universities at Daejeon D-Station SV Ground on the afternoon of the previous day.

This agreement was promoted as part of the "Local Content-Focused Universities" project, which aims to connect the unique assets and characteristics of each region with innovative business models.

The 15 universities that signed the agreement were selected through an open call: Catholic Kwandong University (Gangneung, Gangwon Province); Gyeongsang National University (Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province); Kyung Hee University (Yongin, Gyeonggi Province); Keimyung University (Dalseo District, Daegu); Korea National University of Transportation (Chungju, North Chungcheong Province); Tongmyong University (Nam District, Busan); Dongshin University (Naju, South Jeolla Province); Mokwon University (Seo District, Daejeon); Busan University of Foreign Studies (Geumjeong District, Busan); Seoul Institute of the Arts (Ansan, Gyeonggi Province); Jaeneung College (Dong District, Incheon); Jeonju University (Jeonju, North Jeolla Province); Jeju Tourism University (Jeju, Jeju Province); Chungnam National University (Yuseong District, Daejeon); and Hongik University Sejong Campus (Jochiwon-eup, Sejong).

The "Local Content-Focused Universities" project is led by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Small Enterprise and Market Service. It is a program that nurtures region-based prospective entrepreneurs in cooperation with universities that have both the willingness to solve local issues and the capacity to develop local content. It started with 7 universities in 2023, expanded to 14 universities last year, and has grown to 15 universities this year.

Small Enterprise and Market Service and the 15 regional universities agreed to use this memorandum of understanding as a starting point to fully activate a cooperation system for building a local startup ecosystem and fostering young entrepreneurs in the regions.

Small Enterprise and Market Service plans to strengthen regional linkages through collaborative programs connected with traditional markets and areas at risk of population decline, and to create tangible startup outcomes by holding local startup idea competitions in which both university students and local small business owners participate.

The participating universities will establish and operate local-startup-related curricula (such as micro-degree and master's degree programs), and will support the discovery of creative local startup items, as well as the development and advancement of business models, through hands-on and experiential extracurricular programs such as local startup practicums, prototype development, and startup clubs.

In Tae-yeon, Chairman of Small Enterprise and Market Service, said, "Local Content-Focused Universities are a growth strategy in which regional assets and young people's ideas come together to create new value," adding, "We will do our best to build a sustainable local ecosystem by combining universities' research and educational capabilities with the vivid resources found in local communities."