The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Han Sung-sook, hereinafter referred to as MSS) announced on November 5th the 50 companies selected for the "2025 SME R&D Excellence 50" program. Now in its third year, this program aims to discover and promote SMEs that have successfully completed MSS R&D support projects over the past five years (2020-2024) and have excelled in technology commercialization and performance creation.
This year's selection process saw 360 companies participate, resulting in a competition ratio of 7.2 to 1. This figure represents an increase from last year's figure of 6.7 to 1, demonstrating that the "50 R&D Excellence Awards" has become a leading program for promoting technological achievements among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
This year's selections include: 30 companies with outstanding achievements in commercializing technology development projects; 10 companies with global technological prowess in strategic technologies; 5 companies that successfully overcame crises and re-challenged themselves; and 5 companies that contributed to improving public services. Selected companies will receive a commendation from the Minister of SMEs and Startups, as well as various incentives, including low-interest loans, investment support programs, participation in global exhibitions (such as CES), entry into a dedicated recruitment hall, and preferential treatment in follow-up R&D projects.
Representative examples include Pantalux, which successfully commercialized display circuit technology; Pino Bio, which developed linker technology for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing; Saesol Tech, which successfully re-challenged with autonomous driving communication security technology; and Argosdyne, which implemented an unmanned drone operation system.
Pantalux, with accumulated sales of 48.1 billion won and exports of 18 billion won, is currently pursuing expansion into the European and US markets. Pino Bio, with 11 billion won in investments and 2.1 billion won in royalties, has demonstrated the potential for a paradigm shift in cancer treatment. Saesol Tech, despite the threat of feature phone discontinuation, more than fivefold increased its sales through the development of autonomous driving security software, while Argosdyne has contributed to innovation in the public sector with its fully automated drone operation technology.
(Autonomous driving and drone technology are rapidly growing sectors in the global market. According to Statista, the autonomous vehicle market is expected to grow by more than 15% annually, and the drone industry by more than 12% annually.)
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will hold an award ceremony and performance sharing event for the "50 Best R&D Achievements" at the President Hotel in Seoul on November 27th, and plans to publish and promote the cases of this year's award-winning companies in a collection of best practices.
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