While the number of the organizations for funding or supporting SMEs has increased due to the Korean government's recent 'creative economy' plan for SMEs, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) is the lone research institute for SMEs' technology development. It has recently received a 'Technology Transfer Industrialization Commendation' at the 2014 Korea Technology Industrialization Convention organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.
This commendation is meaningful as it recognizes the help given to SMEs to add value and profit to their unused patents, which the government has recently focused on.
There are 3 top production technology research institutes in the world; Fraunhofer in Germany, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan, and National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. KITECH of Korea is expected to soon be in line with them with its technological support for SMEs.
President Lee Young-soo said, “We have put all our energy on technology industrialization with the motto of 'from report to product, from laboratory to marketplace.” The institute is focused on R&D planning for industrial source technology and SME reinforcement.
Its reorganization since Dr. Lee took office has helped a lot. It has put research and support together as one to increase the research productivity of the 3 major R&D projects: root industry, clean production system, and converged production technology. Also they have created a 'research-practice group' at each office to improve the support efficiency for local companies.
KITECH has encouraged to bear fruits by transforming TLO into Creative Business Office (CBO), giving more rewards to those who transfer technologies, have their own R&D process for technology transfer and industrialization work standardization, and run technology industrialization strategy programs. As a result, the number of technology transfer jumped up from 100 in 2011 to 358 in 2012.
The institute is aggressive in opening overseas markets for SMEs by creating a 'team to nurture global company.' One of its recent successful cases is one domestic SME which has successfully entered into Indonesia's market with its help that it has supported the practical technology for the eco-friendly, smart cold chain logistics system of Indonesia's research institute, BBKK. KITECH plans to continue to play an active role to help SMEs receive technology transfer benefits and advance into foreign markets profit from their own technologies.
Helping the country to develop by promoting root industry
Without strong root technologies like casting, molding, welding, etc., the competitiveness of high-tech manufacturing industries such as automobile, shipbuilding, and semiconductor, which are considered as Korea's key industries, cannot improve. Accordingly, the government enacted a law on the improvement and modernization of root industry and established The Root Industry Promotion Center' in 2011 to continue to increase the competitiveness of SMEs' technologies and key industries. It commissioned the Institute to run the center recognizing its experience and capabilities in the development and support of root technologies.
The president said, “we will do our best as the main supporter for root industries to make them into 'ACE (Automatic, Clean, Easy) industry' with the mindset that they are the future of Korea's manufacturing business.”
KITECH, SMEs' rescuer
KITECH is a research institute to improve practical use of technologies for industries, in particular, SMEs. The institute, which mark its 25th anniversary this year, has been recognized as one of the most 'business-friendly government-funded research institutes' by contributing to corporations' profits and job creation via the practical use of technologies.
In addition, it has played a major role at the Comprehensive Support Center for SMEs' co-established by the 25 government-sponsored research institutes under the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning (MSIP) by actively offering practical help such as consulting on technologies, opening a new market through reliability testing, improving quality via equipment support, and providing talents to resolve technology errors.
Dr. Lee of KITECH produces outcomes like establishing and expanding concepts of production technology, promoting technology innovators, and leading the country's production technology development. He has revealed KITECH’s vision that “it will lead the realization of creative economy by effectively supporting SMEs' manufacturing competitiveness, using human and material resources of government-funded institutes for SMEs, and becoming one of the world's top 3 research institutes for practical use.”
