The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency announced on October 16 that they are accepting applications for the '2027 Jump-Up Program' until November 13.
The Jump-Up Program is designed to comprehensively support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with high growth potential, helping them transition into mid-sized companies through strategic planning, commercialization, investment attraction, and global expansion.
A total of 220 companies will be selected in this recruitment round: 100 companies with sales exceeding 10 billion won will be part of the 'Jump-Up 100' program, 100 companies with sales over 50 billion won will join 'Jump-Up 500,' and 20 companies with sales exceeding 100 billion won will participate in 'Jump-Up 1000.'
All three programs are open to SMEs that have been in operation for over seven years and have achieved the respective sales criteria at least once in the past three years.
Through this initiative, KOSME aims to strengthen support for companies at different growth stages and plans to nurture 1,500 national representative growth companies by 2030.
The Jump-Up 100 program focuses on enhancing management capabilities and business competitiveness. Selected companies will receive guidance for establishing management systems and resolving technical issues, along with an annual open voucher of 20 million won for three years.
The Jump-Up 500 program aims to promote business growth through new business and market entry. It will provide strategic planning for business model expansion and technical consulting related to entering new markets and businesses, offering an annual open voucher of 28 million won for three years.
The Jump-Up 1000 program concentrates on global market entry and advanced corporate growth. It will utilize the expertise of global consulting firms to diagnose growth limitations and support the entire process of developing and executing strategies for joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and initial public offerings (IPOs). An annual open voucher of 750 million won will be provided for two years.
Support for regional companies will also be enhanced. Non-capital region companies will receive open vouchers that are 1.1 to 1.3 times more favorable than those for capital region companies, depending on their location.
Additionally, the performance of participating companies will be evaluated annually, with incentives for outstanding companies and potential reductions or discontinuation of support for underperforming ones.
Companies interested in participating can apply through the Jump-Up Program Integrated Information Management System.
Kang Seok-jin, the head of KOSME, stated, "The growth barriers faced by companies with 10 billion won in sales and those with 100 billion won are different. We will support the leap of SMEs into mid-sized companies through tailored support at each stage."
Meanwhile, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee So-young said on October 15, "We will strengthen the growth ladder for SMEs, which play a crucial role as regional growth engines, to help them transition into mid-sized companies. We will also work closely with relevant ministries to swiftly resolve issues raised in research and development, overseas expansion, and regulations for Jump-Up participating companies that are proving their technological capabilities on the global stage."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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