KEIT Manufacturing Base R&D Grant
Funds Korean consortia improving manufacturing, robotics, and AI-enabled product development for competitiveness.
The KEIT Manufacturing Base R&D Grant funds Korean industry-led consortia in robotics, design industry technology, and AI-enabled product commercialization, administered by the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE). Korea ranks among the top global industrial robotics markets by installed base, and MOTIE designates humanoid robotics and AI-driven product commercialization as strategic 'super-gap' priorities under this thematic budget. The program targets TRL 4–8 development work that advances prototype systems toward manufacturable, commercializable products, covering both industrial automation hardware and the software and AI stacks required for adaptive robotic operation.
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 589.8 billion (approximately USD 393.2 million). Industry co-funding of approximately 30 percent is typical. Eligible primary recipients are Korean-registered for-profit companies; research institutes and universities — including KAIST, POSTECH, and KITECH — participate as consortium partners. Multi-year projects continue subject to successful annual evaluation by KEIT reviewers assessing technical progress, commercial readiness, and MOTIE strategic alignment.
Annual solicitation rounds are administered by KEIT in Korean. Consortium proposals are evaluated on technical feasibility, commercialization pathway, and alignment with MOTIE's manufacturing innovation roadmap. Robotics companies with hardware, sensing, or control-software capabilities targeting industrial or humanoid applications are the most natural fit. Foreign technology providers may participate through Korean industry partners as consortium members. KEIT's global open innovation programs, including a 2025 MOU with Mitacs covering advanced manufacturing, provide one pathway for international collaboration. English summaries of open programs are available at keit.re.kr/eng/.
Korean industrial R&D in robotics (industrial and humanoid), design industry technology, and AI-enabled product commercialization.
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