[Edaily Reporter KIM JI-WAN ] Mirae Asset Venture Investment Co., Ltd(100790)announced on the 1st that “RX,” a company in which it has invested, has been selected as a finalist for the “DeepTech Challenge Project (DCP),” organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The “DCP” is a large-scale research and development program aimed at fostering an innovation ecosystem in strategic technology fields and securing a leading position in the global market. This year, a total of 206 consortia applied, resulting in a high competition ratio of approximately 41 to 1.

Selected organizations will receive research and development (R&D) funding of up to 20 billion won following preliminary research and stage evaluations. “RX” has been selected as the lead organization in the energy sector and will begin full-scale development of a light-water-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) for heat supply.

Through this project, ‘RX’ aims to establish a stable and economical energy supply system while drastically reducing carbon emissions by leveraging nuclear technology. In particular, the company plans to move beyond the traditional use of nuclear power plants—which have primarily focused on electricity generation—to propose new models for utilizing nuclear energy that address future energy demands, such as those for data centers and heating and cooling.

Participants in this consortium include the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Hyosung Good Springs, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Samhong Acturion, Everysim, and HTM. The Korea District Heating Corporation has joined as a demand-side company, and Mirae Asset Venture Investment Co., Ltd has joined as a funding and commercialization partner, working together to build an industrial ecosystem that spans technology development, commercialization, and market entry.

Lee Kang-heon, CEO of “RX,” stated, “While industrial heat accounts for a significant portion of global final energy consumption, it remains a sector with high dependence on fossil fuels.” He added, “Taking this DCP selection as an opportunity, we will focus on developing light-water SMRs for heat supply that are both economically viable and safe, thereby achieving decarbonization in the industrial heat and district heating sectors and contributing to South Korea’s leadership in the global next-generation energy market.”

Ahn Gwang-hyun, Head of the Light Water SMR System Technology Development Division at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), said, “We expect this DCP project to serve as a crucial catalyst, enabling South Korea’s outstanding SMR development capabilities to rapidly gain competitiveness in the global market and secure a technological edge through private-sector-led, efficient commercialization and financing.”

‘RX’ is a researcher-founded startup spun off from the SMR Design Division at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). It is pursuing the development of next-generation heat-supply SMRs based on proven light-water reactor technology. Additionally, by integrating AI-based nuclear engineering technology, the company plans to enhance efficiency in design, safety assessment, and licensing preparation, while dramatically reducing development time and costs.

“RX” is accelerating the global commercialization and market entry of next-generation nuclear technology by securing investments from major domestic venture capital firms, including Bluepoint Partners, A Ventures, Mirae Asset Venture Investment Co., Ltd, COMPANY K PARTNERS LIMITED, CKD Venture Investment, and KT Investment.