Ministry of SMEs and Startups selects 52 joint R&D projects with Purdue University and others

[Financial News] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 10th that it has selected 52 preliminary research projects for the 'Global Cooperation R&D' to be conducted with leading global research institutions.
Global Cooperation R&D is an R&D program introduced for the first time this year to secure global technological competitiveness and promote overseas market entry for small and venture businesses.
The Small and Medium Business Technology Information Promotion Agency, a specialized agency for SME R&D, has signed agreements for joint R&D cooperation with world-renowned research institutions such as 'Purdue University', which has one of the top 5 engineering colleges in the United States, 'Fraunhofer Institute', the largest applied research organization in Europe, and 'Steinbeis Foundation', which supports demand-based R&D to solve corporate challenges.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups derived research and development proposals (RFPs) for projects with high necessity for joint R&D, focusing on the strengths of each global research institution for demand matching. Subsequently, they selected a total of 52 projects in 10 super-gap fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), bio, and semiconductors, by comprehensively evaluating the R&D demand of domestic SMEs and the cooperation possibilities of each institution.
Purdue University will handle 17 projects, Fraunhofer Institute 29 projects, and Steinbeis Foundation 6 projects.
The selected projects will undergo a preliminary research process of about 6 months, during which they will plan detailed research projects, establish strategic collaboration plans with overseas partner institutions, and set research and development roadmaps and stage-by-stage development goals. Through competition, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to support the second phase of the main research from next year for projects that have proven excellent performance and cooperation suitability during the preliminary research process.
To resolve legal issues such as intellectual property (IP) that may arise during the Global Cooperation R&D process and strengthen rights protection, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups held a briefing session in collaboration with IP specialized institutions such as the law firm Kwangjang on the 5th.
Park Yong-sun, Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "Global Cooperation R&D is an opportunity for small and venture businesses to secure global-level technological competitiveness by collaborating with world-renowned research institutions," and added, "We will actively support our innovative small and venture businesses to expand their cooperative systems with leading global research institutions to Europe, Asia, and beyond, enabling them to enter the global market."

stand@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter