The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 6th that it will recruit collaborative maker space hosting organizations with maker support capabilities until the 3rd of next month.

Makerspaces are spaces that support manufacturing startups, such as education and prototype production, by allowing makers to implement their ideas using manufacturing equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters. There are currently about 50 of them in operation nationwide.

Through this, as of 2023, 670,000 people are using the facilities and equipment to produce more than 160,000 prototypes and create more than 500 new businesses, contributing to the revitalization of manufacturing startups.

Recently, IoT Plus Co., Ltd. developed a software coding learning device using prototype production equipment provided by Maker Space, and based on this, it recorded sales of 1.62 billion won, establishing itself as a successful startup story.

The collaborative maker space recruiting this time will be a consortium of three organizations that will operate a collaborative program that utilizes each organization's strengths. Any organization or company that possesses equipment and personnel for prototype production, productization, etc., and has the will and capacity to activate manufacturing startups can participate.

The final eight host organizations will be selected through a three-stage evaluation. The selected organizations will receive approximately 630 million won in annual business operating expenses.

Kyung-won Cho, Director of Startup Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “We will maximize the synergy in manufacturing startup support between the hosting organizations by recruiting collaborative maker spaces,” and “We will discover excellent prospective entrepreneurs and work to revitalize the manufacturing startup ecosystem.”