Startup Growth Technology Development
Funds early-stage Korean startups across regional, women-led, and commercialization tracks for technology development.
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The Startup Growth Technology Development programme — commonly known by its Korean name 창업성장기술개발사업 and branded as Stepping Stone (디딤돌) — is administered by TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs) under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS). It is one of the ten core R&D grant programmes TIPA executes from the 2026 MSS SME R&D budget of KRW 2.2 trillion, a record allocation up from KRW 1.5 trillion in 2025. The programme targets early-stage Korean startups from seed through growth stage and provides project grants for technology development and commercialization activities.
The 2026 Round 1 announcement (notice 제2025-654호, issued December 23, 2025) covered three tracks: Stepping Stone — Regional Office R&D Track, Stepping Stone — Women's Participation Activation Track, and the Leap (도약) commercialization track. Applications for Round 1 were accepted January 6–23, 2026 via the SMTECH portal (smtech.go.kr). Historical programme norms indicate typical Stepping Stone awards of approximately KRW 150–200 million per project per year, though exact ceilings are published per-cycle in the SMTECH announcement rather than as a standing programme rule. Only for-profit Korean SMEs may apply; non-profits, universities, individuals, and research organisations are not eligible as lead applicants.
All applications are submitted in Korean exclusively through the SMTECH portal. The programme typically runs multiple rounds per year; the next round dates were not published as of early 2026. Applicants should monitor the SMTECH portal for new announcements, read the per-cycle 공고문 carefully for track-specific award ceilings and documentation requirements, and ensure their startup meets the SME definition under the Small and Medium Enterprise Basic Act before preparing an application.
Funds R&D by early-stage Korean startups across three tracks — Regional Office R&D, Women's Participation Activation, and Leap commercialization — to develop and bring technology products to market.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the industries in scope
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see how to apply
Sign up free to see the timeline