GBSA (경기도경제과학진흥원) is Gyeonggi Province's economic and science promotion foundation, formed in January 2017 through the merger of an SME support body and a science and technology body.

How far back does GBSA's history go?

Its own history page traces the organisation to June 24, 1997, when it was approved as 경기중소기업진흥재단 (Gyeonggi Small and Medium Business Promotion Foundation).

Does GBSA support foreign-invested companies specifically?

Its homepage names 경기도외국인투자기업지원센터 (Foreign-invested Enterprise Support Center) for companies already operating, and Invest 경기 for overseas capital attraction.

Is Pangyo Startup Campus a separate agency?

No. GBSA's own page describes it as the Seongnam hub of its eight-hub startup-space network, run across three buildings.

GBSA (경기도경제과학진흥원): a 1997 SME foundation that now runs a foreign-investor centre

GBSA(경기도경제과학진흥원): 1997년 중소기업재단에서 외국인투자기업지원센터까지

Published 18 October 20263 min read3 primary sources

GBSA is Gyeonggi Province's economic and science promotion foundation, formed by a 2017 merger of two provincial bodies with roots back to 1997. Its own pages name a Foreign-invested Enterprise Support Center, an eight-hub startup-space network including Pangyo, and an overseas-investment line called Invest Gyeonggi.

A desk with planning documents and a laptop, representing agency consultation and case-review work

On this page

A 1997 SME foundation, merged twice
Eight startup-space hubs, one at Pangyo
A named line for foreign-invested companies

GBSA runs Gyeonggi Province's startup and foreign-investment support under one merged agency. Its own pages describe eight regional startup-space hubs, a foreign-invested company support centre, and an overseas capital-attraction line. Each runs as a separate service, not one desk.

A 1997 SME foundation, merged twice

GBSA's own history page traces the organisation to June 24, 1997. Authorities then approved it as 재단법인 경기중소기업진흥재단, the Gyeonggi Small and Medium Business Promotion Foundation. The foundation took the name 경기중소기업종합지원센터 in August 1999, and opened a main facility in Gwanggyo in September 2001.

A separate science-focused body, 경기과학기술진흥원, formed in May 2010. It merged a science and technology centre, the Gyeonggi Bio Center, and the Gyeonggi Medicine Research Center. In January 2017 the SME body and the science body merged into the current 경기도경제과학진흥원 (GBSA).

Date	Event
June 24, 1997	Approved as 경기중소기업진흥재단
August 1999	Renamed 경기중소기업종합지원센터
September 2001	Main facility opens in Gwanggyo
May 2010	Science-side merger forms 경기과학기술진흥원
January 2017	SME and science bodies merge into GBSA

Eight startup-space hubs, one at Pangyo

GBSA's innovation-space page describes 경기창업혁신공간, a network of eight regional hubs: Uijeongbu, Goyang, Anyang, Hanam, Guri, Bucheon, Suwon and Seongnam. Eligibility runs from prospective founders through companies under seven years old, extended to ten years for emerging-industry fields.

The Seongnam hub sits inside 경기스타트업캠퍼스, the Gyeonggi Startup Campus at Pangyo, across three buildings. GBSA's page does not state a separate foreign-founder rule for any of the eight hubs. The seven or ten-year age test is the only eligibility line the fetched page names.

A named line for foreign-invested companies

GBSA's own homepage lists 경기도외국인투자기업지원센터, the Foreign-invested Enterprise Support Center, describing help with difficulties in company operations. The same homepage names Invest 경기, an overseas capital-attraction programme, as a separate service.

GBSA's merged structure: a 1997 SME foundation and a 2010 science body, now running eight startup hubs plus a foreign-investor support centre.

A foreign-founded company weighing GBSA should ask which door fits. Options are a regional startup hub under the age test, or the Foreign-invested Enterprise Support Center for a registered company.

Use the ecosystem guide to place GBSA inside Korea's wider agency network, alongside the university business incubation centres that run a similar tenancy-plus-mentoring model.

Frequently asked questions

What is GBSA?: GBSA (경기도경제과학진흥원) is Gyeonggi Province's economic and science promotion foundation, formed in January 2017 through the merger of an SME support body and a science and technology body.
How far back does GBSA's history go?: Its own history page traces the organisation to June 24, 1997, when it was approved as 경기중소기업진흥재단 (Gyeonggi Small and Medium Business Promotion Foundation).
How many startup-space hubs does GBSA run?: Its innovation-space page names eight regional hubs: Uijeongbu, Goyang, Anyang, Hanam, Guri, Bucheon, Suwon and Seongnam, the last of which sits at the Pangyo Startup Campus.
What is the eligibility age for a GBSA startup hub?: The fetched page lists prospective founders through companies under seven years old, extended to ten years for emerging-industry fields. No separate foreign-founder rule is stated.
Does GBSA support foreign-invested companies specifically?: Its homepage names 경기도외국인투자기업지원센터 (Foreign-invested Enterprise Support Center) for companies already operating, and Invest 경기 for overseas capital attraction.
Is Pangyo Startup Campus a separate agency?: No. GBSA's own page describes it as the Seongnam hub of its eight-hub startup-space network, run across three buildings.

Sources

GBSA official homepage — read 2026-09-24
GBSA - institutional history (연혁) — read 2026-09-24
GBSA - Gyeonggi startup innovation space (경기창업혁신공간) — read 2026-09-24

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