SMEs ministry seeks startups to solve public service challenges

The SMEs ministry said Monday it will recruit around 20 startups to develop solutions for public service innovation tasks proposed by 18 public institutions. Applications for the Public Data Utilization Open Innovation project run from Sept. 15 through Oct. 6.

Selected startups will receive up to 100 million won in funds to support proof-of-concept testing and prototype production alongside their public sector partners. Successful applicants may also access follow-up technical development programs.

The initiative operates under the government's April plan, aiming to expand open innovation between startups and public agencies in strategic sectors such as defense and climate tech.

The program combines top-down tasks suggested by public agencies with bottom-up proposals from startups seeking specific non-public data. In the top-down track, the ministry selected 22 tasks from 18 entities, including the National Data Agency and Korea Expressway Corporation, ranging from AI-driven crowd density prediction to automated detection of road ice using CCTV footage.

Startups addressing these agency-proposed tasks will undergo evaluation and matching processes before beginning collaborative work. For the bottom-up track, 63 startups have already applied to secure non-public data through cooperation with the Korea Intelligence Information Society Agency, with successful applicants eligible for the same funding and technical development support.

Cho Kyung-won, director of the Startup Policy Bureau at the ministry, said supporting startup access to public data lays the foundation for creating tangible public services while accelerating the commercialization of innovative technologies. He added that expanding access to high-demand public data would promote startup growth.

Detailed information regarding the application process is available on the K-Startup website.