The government will provide large-scale support for three innovative R&D projects with significant ripple effects, including the development of secondary battery technology that eliminates fire and explosion risks, and will boldly support promising small and medium-sized ventures by reducing the burden of failure.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Lee Young) announced on the 24th that it will announce the three projects (RFPs) that have been finally selected for the 'High-Risk, High-Performance R&D Project' being promoted as a national task.

The 'High-Risk, High-Performance R&D Project' is a project that aims to encourage small and medium-sized venture companies to boldly take on high-risk R&D by setting challenging goals, providing KRW 10 billion in public-private joint support, guaranteeing research autonomy, and reducing the burden of failure.

The three projects selected this time are: △Development of triple thermal management material technology for secondary batteries to prevent fire and explosion risks; △Development of a high-refractive index flexible robot platform for minimally invasive surgery; and △Development of ultra-precision thickness measurement technology for 300mm wafer composite multilayer thin films.

Triple thermal management for secondary batteries to prevent fire and explosion hazards With the increasing demand for secondary batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESS), coupled with the increasing incidence of fires and explosions, materials technology development aims to establish a triple safety system: fire prevention, chain reaction prevention, and improved cooling capabilities. This development is designed to prevent accidents, given the recent issue of thermal explosions in electric vehicles, which has significant ripple effects on key global supply chains.

The development of a high-refractive index flexible robotic platform for minimally invasive surgery involves robotic entry into the body through natural openings (such as the mouth and anus). This next-generation surgical technique boasts advantages over other surgical methods, including minimal scarring and bleeding, rapid recovery, and shorter hospital stays. However, due to technical limitations, this technique has not yet been widely adopted, and its challenging nature and the need for research and development were recognized.

The 300mm wafer composite multilayer thin film ultra-precision thickness measurement technology development project is an in-line technology that can be applied to the 300mm wafer semiconductor manufacturing process as a measurement technology required in the 3D packaging process, which is a next-generation semiconductor technology. In particular, it is a challenging task that is expected to have a significant effect on securing domestic semiconductor competitiveness and substituting imports compared to major competitors in technology development.

According to this RFP announcement, the project execution company will be selected by the end of the year. If the Scaleup Tips operator discovers and invests (at least 2 billion won) and recommends a project, the government will evaluate it and make the final selection of the execution company.

The total amount of support is approximately 10 billion won, and it will support research autonomy and full-cycle PM management.

In addition, to prevent conservative private investment, incentives such as a call option of up to 90% and priority loss coverage of up to 30% will be expanded, and the burden of failure will be reduced in cases of faithful performance.

We will begin posting corporate recruitment notices in October, and will begin selecting and supporting performing companies in December of this year.

Minister Lee Young said, “The high-risk, high-performance R&D project (DCP) has finally been announced after a rigorous selection process, and starting next year, its role will be expanded to include large-scale projects based on strategic technology themes.” He added, “We also plan to pursue joint research collaborations with leading overseas research institutes such as Harvard and MIT in the future.”

Detailed information on the announcement of the 'High-Risk, High-Performance R&D Project' can be found on the website of the Integrated Support System for Research (www.iris.go.kr), the website of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (www.mss.go.kr), and the website of the Korea Technology Information Promotion Agency (www.tipa.or.kr).