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창업성장기술개발: the startup R&D line and how it differs from a grant

창업성장기술개발사업과 R&D 지원

3 min read3 primary sources

창업성장기술개발 (Startup Growth Technology Development) is one of several technology-development lines under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' annual integrated R&D notice, administered by TIPA through the SMTECH system. Its own listing describes it as funding technology-development costs, not a flat grant, alongside separate lines for innovation, public-private commercialisation and investment-linked development.

Students with laptops in a lecture room at SUNY Korea in Incheon, an instructor writing on the whiteboard
On this page
  1. TIPA administers it, MSS owns the policy
  2. It is one category among four, not one programme
  3. Why this is R&D funding, not a grant

Grant, voucher and R&D subsidy are not interchangeable words here. 창업성장기술개발 sits in the R&D category. Its own pages describe what that means structurally.

TIPA administers it, MSS owns the policy

TIPA describes itself as "a vital R&D partner that propels SMEs to success" on its own English page, under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Its stated mission: support creative and challenging R&D by SMEs.

TIPA's site names R&D support, run through SMTECH, as a primary programme area. TIPA runs the system. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups issues the yearly notice that opens applications.

It is one category among four, not one programme

The Ministry's 2026 integrated notice, published through Bizinfo, lists 창업성장기술개발 alongside three other categories:

CategoryWhat the 2026 notice groups it with
창업성장기술개발Startup growth technology development
중소기업기술혁신개발SME technology innovation development
민관공동기술사업화Public-private joint technology commercialisation
투융자연계기술개발Investment-loan-linked technology development

The notice states its purpose as raising SME technological competitiveness. Applicants must qualify as an SME under the SME Basic Act. Specific eligibility varies by category and its own sub-notice.

Why this is R&D funding, not a grant

The integrated notice describes the support as covering "기술개발 관련 비용," technology-development-related expenses. That is cost reimbursement tied to a project. It works closer to a research grant than to a lump-sum startup grant or a fixed-value voucher.

Applications run through the government's integrated research support system at iris.go.kr, per the notice.

This post omits the exact funding cap and duration for 창업성장기술개발. Those pages did not print them. Treat any specific number you see elsewhere about this line as something to re-confirm on the live sub-notice.

창업성장기술개발 is one of four technology-development categories inside MSS's annual integrated R&D notice.

The right question is not "what does 창업성장기술개발 pay?" It is "which year's sub-notice is open right now, and what does that specific document state?"

See the grant vs matching vs voucher guide for how this R&D-cost structure compares with Korea's other funding shapes.

Frequently asked questions

What is 창업성장기술개발?
It is one of the technology-development categories in the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' annual integrated R&D support notice, administered by TIPA through the SMTECH system.
Who administers 창업성장기술개발?
TIPA, the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs, runs the SMTECH system the programme operates through; the Ministry of SMEs and Startups issues the policy notice.
Is 창업성장기술개발 a grant?
The government's notice describes it as covering technology-development-related expenses, a cost-reimbursement structure tied to an R&D project, rather than a flat lump-sum grant.
What other categories sit alongside it in the same notice?
The 2026 integrated notice lists it with 중소기업기술혁신개발, 민관공동기술사업화 and 투융자연계기술개발.
Where do the funding cap and duration for this line come from?
They are published in the category's own yearly sub-notice, not in the ministry's overview notice. The pages fetched for this post did not print those figures.

Sources

Everything above is the rule as published. See how it applies to your case.

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