KIAT World Class Plus Program — Discoverability Seed
Funds South Korea teams building global category growth for deep-tech from proof to commercialization.
The World Class Plus (WC+) Program is a flagship competitiveness initiative administered by the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) under Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, targeting Korean mid-size manufacturers with the demonstrated capability and ambition to reach global top-three status in a defined sub-sector. The program bundles direct R&D grant support with complementary services for global market expansion, intellectual property development, and access to growth finance, positioning it as a holistic scale-up mechanism rather than a narrowly defined research subsidy. Primary industries eligible include advanced manufacturing, materials, AI-embedded hardware, semiconductors, transport components, and energy equipment — sectors where Korean mid-caps have historically competed internationally but face intensifying pressure from Chinese and European rivals.
Award values range from KRW 500 million to KRW 5 billion per selected project, calibrated to the technology maturity (TRL 6–9) and international expansion plan of the applicant. Eligibility is restricted to Korean for-profit mid-size enterprises that can demonstrate an existing export track record; large chaebol-affiliated entities and pure startups without commercial revenues are generally excluded. Universities and government research institutes may participate as consortium members but cannot lead. Applicants must articulate a credible path to global category leadership in a specifically defined product or technology sub-market, distinguishing WC+ from broader industrial subsidy schemes.
Selection occurs on an annual cycle through the worldclassplus.go.kr programme portal. Concrete call opening dates for each cycle are announced on that portal and through KIAT's official notice channels; the 2026 cycle opening dates were not confirmed in the records available at time of research. Applicants are evaluated on their international competitiveness trajectory, the strategic coherence of the requested R&D scope, and the plausibility of the commercialisation roadmap.
R&D and global expansion support for Korean mid-size manufacturers targeting top-three global market position in a defined industrial technology sub-sector.
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