Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Industry-University Cooperation Focused Project Group (Director Professor Guk Kyung-su) has been finally selected for the Research Talent Innovation Center (R&D Brain Care Center) to carry out the "2024 Small Business On‑Site Tailored Research Personnel Training Support Project" announced by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The Small Business On‑Site Tailored Research Personnel Training Support Project is a new program by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups designed to strengthen small businesses' stable access to research personnel and enhance their technological competitiveness by establishing a system that supplies field‑tailored research personnel to promising small and medium‑sized enterprises with high growth potential. This year, a total of 16 institutions applied, and four institutions, including JBNU, were selected as lead institutions.

Accordingly, the JBNU Industry-University Cooperation Focused Project Group will receive approximately KRW 3.6 billion in national funding over three years through 2027 and, in consortium with the Jeonbuk Regional Industry Promotion Agency, will undertake the training and supply of research personnel for small businesses.

To this end, the Project Group will establish and operate a specialized, one‑stop process for training specialized, field‑tailored personnel for small business R&D. The process will include customized programs for on‑site personnel training and R&D‑linked support based on regional and industry research personnel demand, and will identify and match promising small companies with tailored research personnel.

Through the on‑site tailored personnel training program, the Project Group plans to train about 100 research personnel annually and to support matched candidates to undertake internships at companies for up to four months.

During their internships, these research personnel will identify R&D projects that can address problems faced by the host companies. The Project Group will select 40 outstanding projects and provide KRW 12 million in R&D funding per project.

 In addition, the eight most outstanding projects among these 40 will be linked to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' New Research Personnel Recruitment Support Program. Through this linkage, the companies will receive government wage subsidies, enabling smoother implementation of their research projects.

Director Guk Kyung-su said, "Many small businesses face difficulties in conducting their own R&D and securing research personnel. Through this project, we plan to provide phased, systematic support." He added, "We will build a comprehensive support platform for small businesses that connects research personnel training with recruitment and create a hub institution that enables win‑win collaboration between the university and industry." 

Meanwhile, the JBNU Industry-University Cooperation Focused Project Group is the institution responsible for supporting small business R&D programs. It was awarded the Presidential Award at the Small Business Technology and Management Innovation Expo held in October 2023.