KEIT Carbon Neutrality Program

KEIT Carbon Neutrality R&D Grant

Funds Korean industry projects in carbon-neutral manufacturing and cleaner fuel and hydrogen-based production technologies.

The KEIT Carbon Neutrality R&D Grant funds Korean industry-led consortia in industrial decarbonization technology, administered by the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE). The program covers core technologies for carbon-neutral industry, Hydrogen-Based Ironmaking Demonstration technology, and Carbon-Free Fuel-Based Naphtha Cracking Center (NCC) process technology. Flagship demonstration projects are led by major Korean industrial groups: POSCO is the primary recipient for the hydrogen-based ironmaking work, and LG Chem and SK Innovation lead the carbon-free fuel-based NCC process development. These projects advance Korea's heavy-industry decarbonization roadmap toward the 2050 carbon neutrality target.

Project-level grants typically range from KRW 500 million to KRW 5 billion per year per project. The 2026 KEIT programme budget for this thematic area is KRW 257.25 billion (approximately USD 171.5 million). Industry co-funding is typical at approximately 30 percent of total project cost. Eligible primary recipients are Korean-registered for-profit companies; research institutes and universities participate as consortium partners. TRL range at entry is 4–8. Multi-year projects continue subject to successful annual technical and commercialization review by KEIT evaluators.

Annual solicitation rounds are administered by KEIT in Korean. Consortium proposals are assessed on technical feasibility, MOTIE decarbonization strategy alignment, commercial and industrial scale-up potential, and consortium depth. Steel, chemicals, petrochemicals, and related process industries with Korean company anchors are the primary applicant base. Companies with hydrogen production, carbon capture, or alternative feedstock technology may engage as consortium partners through Korean primary recipients. KEIT's global open innovation partnerships, including a 2025 MOU with Mitacs spanning clean technologies, offer a pathway for international collaborators. English summaries of current calls are at keit.re.kr/eng/.