SME Technology Innovation Development

SME Technology Innovation Development

Supports Korean technology-oriented small businesses with development grants for globally competitive innovation.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

SME Technology Innovation Development (중소기업기술혁신개발사업) is a competitive R&D grant programme administered by TIPA under Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups, targeting technology-focused Korean SMEs pursuing breakthrough innovation. The programme operates under the 2026 MSS SME R&D budget of KRW 2.2 trillion — a record level representing a 47% increase over 2025 — and reflects the national policy theme of "technology development that generates revenue." TIPA administers the programme through the SMTECH portal and uses an AI-assisted screening process introduced in 2026 to handle the large volume of applicants.

The programme offers two tracks. The Global-leading Technology track supports SMEs developing technologies with demonstrable international competitiveness — projects aimed at matching or surpassing overseas counterparts in a given technology domain. The Promising Technology track targets near-term commercialization, supporting SMEs whose innovations have a clear path to market within the project period. Round 1 applications for 2026 were open January 26 – February 9 via SMTECH. Award ceilings and maximum project durations are specified in the per-cycle announcement notice on SMTECH and are not published as standing programme limits. Eligible applicants are for-profit Korean SMEs as defined under the Small and Medium Enterprise Basic Act; non-profits, universities, and individuals are excluded.

Applications are submitted entirely in Korean via the SMTECH portal. TIPA reduced the required documentation from 20 items to ten or fewer as part of 2026 process improvements, and a 30,000-strong evaluator pool conducts peer review of technical proposals. Businesses preparing applications should verify the current cycle's announcement on SMTECH for specific track definitions, award ceilings, and any sector-specific priority areas declared for that round, as these parameters can shift between annual cycles.