The government is stepping up full-scale support for the Regional New Deal by upgrading equipment at 13 technoparks outside the capital area.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Kwon Chil-seung) announced on the 9th that, as a follow-up measure to the reorganization of key regional industries for the success of the Regional Balanced New Deal, it will proceed with the upgrading of equipment at technoparks to support companies operating in key industries.

This project supports the regional New Deal policy by improving outdated equipment among the existing equipment held by Technoparks, which are regional innovation hubs, as well as purchasing new equipment needed by upstream and downstream companies of the reorganized regional key industries. It also aims to resolve production and technology difficulties in the practical technology commercialization of small and medium-sized enterprises in regional key industries by upgrading the test production and test certification equipment held by Technoparks.

According to a survey by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the difficulties faced by companies utilizing equipment were found to be equipment obsolescence (35.4%) and shortages (20.2%). For example, it was revealed that 62.4% of the equipment owned by techno parks used by local companies in the vicinity was over 10 years old.

To enhance equipment utilization rates, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to set the use of shared equipment and the possession of specialized personnel for equipment operation as key evaluation indicators in the selection of operators.

In addition, to promote the systematic establishment of equipment, we are currently developing an advancement roadmap that takes into account the degree of obsolescence, intended use, corporate demand, relevance to core businesses, and alignment with the regional New Deal.

In addition, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT, and various government agencies The functions of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' regional research equipment management system are also being improved, including information lookup on technical equipment scattered across local governments as well as reservation services.

Kim Seong-seop, Director General of Regional Enterprise Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, emphasized, “We will precisely analyze the effectiveness and urgency of support to enable key regional industries to grow through technology development, and actively support the regions and sectors that can yield the optimal results first.”

Thirteen non-metropolitan technoparks wishing to participate in the 'Technopark Production Equipment Advancement Project' can apply online through the Korea Institute for Industrial Technology Promotion's project management system (www.k-pass.kr) from April 16 to May 8.