Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) announced that it will allocate KRW 268.5 billion this year to Korea’s industrial innovation infrastructure program, which supports the establishment of research facilities and equipment to develop ultra-gap technologies and accelerate commercialization. This marks the program’s largest budget to date, up 11.5 percent from 2025, underscoring the government’s efforts to strengthen technological self-reliance and industrial competitiveness amid intensifying global technology competition.

Full-Scale Investment in Core Infrastructure to Strengthen AI Capabilities in Manufacturing

MOTIR plans to select 28 new projects this year (12 more than in 2025), with a total budget of KRW 28.0 billion, about 40 percent of which will be allocated to AI-based infrastructure. 

By expanding AI facilities and equipment deployable directly at manufacturing sites—including AI autonomous laboratories and Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) infrastructure—the program is expected to help build an industrial base that supports Korea’s transition to AI-driven manufacturing.

Transforming Shared Research Spaces into Nationwide Industrial Technology Hubs

Starting with this year’s newly selected projects, MOTIR will require the establishment of shared research spaces nationwide, which will serve as regional industrial technology hubs.

These spaces will be established at research centers in advanced technology fields, including AI, semiconductors, and secondary batteries, to facilitate collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions. This framework will bring together anchor companies, small and medium-sized suppliers, universities, and research institutes to advance practical technology development and accelerate commercialization.

MOTIR will also pursue additional infrastructure support measures to better reflect on-site needs. These measures include upgrading and maintaining aging equipment at self-sustaining research centers with strong records of shared equipment use, as well as expanding AI autonomous laboratory infrastructure that supports the full experimental process—from virtual testing and experiment design to generating results.

The industrial innovation infrastructure program will be announced in three rounds this year, with nine projects to be selected in the first round, scheduled for January 27, 2026. Further details are available on the websites of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) (www.motir.go.kr) and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) (www.kiat.or.kr).

Choi Yeon-woo, Director General for Industrial Technology Convergence Policy at MOTIR, stated that “early investment in research facilities and equipment is critical to maintaining competitiveness amid rapid technological advances, including the AI transition.” He added that “through the industrial innovation infrastructure program, the government will support companies in responding to new technologies by building shared infrastructure that is essential to industrial technology development but difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to establish independently.