KIAT World Class Plus Program

World Class Plus is KIAT's flagship scale-up programme for mid-size Korean manufacturers that want to become global category leaders. It succeeds World Class 300 and Hidden Champion and sits inside KIAT's wider industrial technology mandate under MOTIE. The programme combines R&D support with market-entry, intellectual property, and growth-finance help, so it is aimed at companies that already have a serious commercial base. The instrument is a grant with awards from KRW 500 million to KRW 5 billion on an annual cycle. Eligibility is limited to for-profit Korean firms; non-profits, universities, research organisations, and individuals are excluded. It sets Korea as both the registration and operations country, places applicants at TRL 6 to 9, and requires a prototype, pilot evidence, and 33 percent matching support. The best fit is a Korean manufacturer with an export record and a credible path to a global top-three position in its sub-sector. KIAT's sector emphasis lines up with advanced materials, manufacturing AI, energy, automotive components, and semiconductors, which means the programme rewards teams that can link technical progress to export growth and a financeable scale-up plan. Applicants succeed when they can show that R&D, IP, and market expansion are moving together rather than as separate workstreams.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.