[Edaily Reporter Kim Se-yeon ] The government will provide up to 20 billion won in research and development (R&D) funding over four years to build an ecosystem for next-generation technologies, such as low-power semiconductors. The goal is to strengthen the technological ecosystem among domestic companies in the high-tech sector and boost national competitiveness.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 24th that it held an official launch ceremony for seven preliminary research project teams of the “Ecosystem Innovation-Type Deep Tech Challenge Project” (DCP) at the Startup Venture Campus Seoul (SVC Seoul) in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
The Ecosystem Innovation-Type DCP is a large-scale project that selects projects poised to lead the global market in cutting-edge technology fields. The Ministry will provide up to 20 billion won in R&D funding over four years to selected consortia, in conjunction with initial investments of at least 3 billion won from private investors such as venture capital (VC) firms. The consortia include numerous small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), venture companies, large corporations, universities, and government-funded research institutes.
A total of 206 consortia applied during the open call phase, resulting in a high competition ratio of 41 to 1. Following written and in-person evaluations conducted by a review committee—comprising experts in technology, business management, and investment, as well as a “Citizen Expert Evaluation Panel”—seven consortia were ultimately selected for preliminary research.
The seven project teams launched this time will conduct preliminary research—including proof of concept (PoC) and proof of market (PoM)—as the final step before the selection of the main projects. Each project team plans to collaborate with partner and subcontracting organizations, as well as collaborating companies, under the leadership of the lead institution to validate core technologies in their respective fields in advance.
First, the semiconductor project will focus on developing next-generation thermal processes that deliver high performance while consuming less power. Led by Lambda Micro, the project will establish an ecosystem for materials, components, and equipment through collaboration between commissioned research institutions— WONIK QnC CORPORATION(074600), HyundaiMotor(005380), and Dongwoo Enchem Co., Ltd.—and SamsungElectronics(005930). NHC, Metakium, Entrium, INICS Corporation, the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, and Sungkyunkwan University will also participate in the joint R&D.
Through projects in the energy sector, a next-generation decarbonized industrial thermal energy ecosystem will be established by developing a light-water-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) for heat supply. Led by RX, the Korea District Heating Corporation, Hyosung Good Springs, Mirae Asset Venture Investment Co., Ltd., and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will participate in the commissioned research. HTM, Samhong Acturion, EverySim, and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) will also be involved in joint research and development.
The other five projects are in the fields of △space medicine, △space data centers, △all-solid-state batteries, △displays, and △biohealth.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will also provide support—through programs such as the Technology Challenge DCP and Scale-up TIPS—to candidate companies that achieved excellent results in this evaluation process but did not directly advance to the preliminary research phase. This is to prevent promising technologies from disappearing without receiving support.
The seven project teams launched this time will undergo a rigorous four-month preliminary research period to verify their technical achievements and market potential. Once the preliminary research is complete, the five top-performing projects—those that have fully demonstrated originality and commercialization potential—will be selected as final projects and receive support.
Noh Yong-seok, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “If this project is successfully completed, we expect it will dramatically enhance the technological competitiveness of national strategic industries—such as semiconductors, SMRs, and aerospace—and secure strong technological sovereignty that leads the global supply chain.” He added, “We will fully invest up to 20 billion won over four years in the top projects selected through the preliminary research phase and actively support them so they can grow into unicorn companies with a significant competitive edge.”