70 billion won will be invested over four years in seven new small and medium-sized business-related projects, including strengthening the AI semiconductor supply chain.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Ahn Deok-geun) announced on the 30th that it will solicit applications for seven new projects for the 2024 Small and Medium Business Administration's Core Strategic Technology Support Infrastructure Construction Project.

The total amount of support is 70 billion won over four years.

This project is to support the development of core strategic technologies for small and medium-sized businesses, improve the performance and reliability of items developed through research and development (R&D), and build research facilities and equipment to support the production of prototypes.

These seven new projects were selected through a demand survey of related companies and research institutes and a review by experts from academia, industry, and research institutes, focusing on advanced strategic industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor development, autonomous collaborative manufacturing processes, and equipment construction to support the commercialization of eco-friendly biomaterials.

The seven tasks are: △ Demonstration and infrastructure establishment for strengthening the semiconductor AI semiconductor supply chain, △ Establishment of a verification base for high-performance coating/film for display OLED, △ Establishment of a reliability base for domestic production of high-output power conversion devices for future automobiles, △ Establishment of a verification base for strengthening the supply chain of next-generation electrical and electronic communication parts, △ Establishment of an evaluation infrastructure for control modules for autonomous collaborative manufacturing processes in machinery, △ Establishment of a verification base for high-toughness, hydrogen-embrittlement resistance metal materials for the metal hydrogen industry, and △ Establishment of a support base for commercialization of eco-friendly bio-materials in basic chemicals.

This year's project submissions are accepted online through the Inter-Ministry Integrated Research Support System (iris.go.kr), and the application period runs from July 1 to July 31.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, “In order to internalize the core strategic technologies of small and medium-sized businesses and secure ultra-gap technologies, strategic measures that reflect market and technological changes are needed.” He said, “Equipment construction is important,” and “We plan to strengthen our research on global market trends and corporate demand to continue to promote effective equipment construction in the future.”