The first advanced manufacturing startup hub jointly created by the government, local authorities, and companies has opened in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups held an opening ceremony for the "RIST Advanced Manufacturing Incubating Center" in Pohang on the 22nd and began operations. The center was established jointly by the ministry, North Gyeongsang Province, the city of Pohang, and POSCO Group, based on the commercialization research capabilities of the Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (RIST).
The aim is to resolve the bottlenecks that advanced manufacturing startups face when moving technology from the research and experimental stage to actual products and production processes. Built at a cost of 25 billion won, the center has a total floor area of 4,074 square meters across two above-ground stories.
The center is equipped with manufacturing-specialized infrastructure, including large manufacturing spaces, clean rooms, supply facilities for seven types of industrial gas, and a 440V power grid. Tenant companies can use these to conduct process verification, mass-production testing, and production stabilization. They also receive technology needed for the transition to mass production from RIST, including process design, testing and analysis, reliability evaluation, and mass-production process engineering.
The center will also connect tenant companies with POSCO Group to help attract investment and expand overseas. Through collaboration with local institutions such as North Gyeongsang Province and the city of Pohang, it plans to build a foundation for local growth via project linkages, the discovery of promising companies, and support for entry into industrial complexes.
Currently, four startups are tenants, working in the fields of secondary battery recycling, high-temperature water electrolysis stacks, distributed energy control solutions, and eco-friendly new material packaging. Going forward, the center plans to intensively nurture up to 10 advanced manufacturing startups per year and to attract new companies by operating a graduation system that varies from three to five years depending on each company's circumstances.
"The Advanced Manufacturing Incubating Center is the region's first public-private partnership manufacturing startup hub that helps startups leap from laboratory-stage technology to mass production," said Mok Seung-hwan, head of the Startup and Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. "By utilizing private manufacturing infrastructure and the region's strengths, we will support promising manufacturing startups to settle in the region and further extend into global markets."
