The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 8th that it will announce the implementation plan for the Deep Tech Challenge Project (DCP) 'Ecosystem Innovation', which will involve collaboration between numerous small and medium-sized venture companies, including supply and demand companies, to innovate the entire industrial ecosystem.
The Ecosystem Innovation Program is a large-scale program that supports up to 20 billion won in research and development (R&D) funding per project over four years, with project teams comprised primarily of small and medium-sized ventures, investment institutions, universities and research institutes, and large and medium-sized enterprises. Unlike traditional R&D methods that support individual technology development, this program aims to create ripple effects across industries by collaborating with multiple companies to simultaneously develop and demonstrate multiple core technologies.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to select five projects that can innovate the domestic industrial ecosystem and create new global markets through step-by-step verification centered on five strategic fields: AI and digital, advanced robotics and manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and bio, advanced materials and components, and carbon and energy.
The project will be implemented in two phases. In Phase 1, approximately eight promising projects will be selected through a three-month open call. Preliminary preparations will then take place over a period of up to six months, including technology and market validation, securing private investment of at least 3 billion won, and strengthening the project team. In Phase 2, five projects with proven performance and feasibility will be selected and provided with full-scale R&D funding for four years.
Given the large budget commitment, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups is introducing a system in which project managers (PMs) are involved from the project identification stage to ensure flexible response to technological and market changes. PMs are responsible for not only technology and market validation and team formation, but also overseeing the R&D process, including goal adjustments and even terminations.
Hwang Young-ho, Director General of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “It is the first time in the history of SME R&D to provide up to 20 billion won in support for a single project,” and added, “We will go beyond supporting companies and create a representative successful model that solves structural technological challenges in the industrial ecosystem.”
The application period for this project is from January 8 to April 7, 2026, and applications can be submitted online through the Inter-Ministry Integrated Research Support System. The project briefing session will be held on February 3 at Yeoksam Tipstown S1 and online.
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