The South Korean government will provide 91 billion won (approximately $68 million) over the next five years to support research and development (R&D) for five new collaboration models in materials, components, and equipment, including next-generation glass package substrates and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pellicles. Five companies, including Hanwha Ocean and Senik Systems, have been designated as 'super 을' companies, each receiving 20 billion won for long-term R&D projects.
On August 6, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the 16th meeting of the Materials, Components, and Equipment Competitiveness Enhancement Committee in Seoul, where it approved the collaboration models, selected the third group of super 을 companies, and reviewed this year's competitiveness enhancement plan.
The new collaboration models include next-generation glass package substrates, 1000W-class EUV pellicles, factory-customized mobility platforms, domestically produced system-on-chips (SoCs) for vehicle infotainment, and ultra-high-performance porous carbon for energy applications. The government will support these projects with R&D funding, regulatory exemptions such as a fast track for chemical substance approvals, financial and tax incentives, and validation assessments.
This year, the government expanded the types of collaboration models from two to three by adding 'ecosystem completion' and 'region-led' models to the existing general model. The ecosystem completion model allows demand companies to directly design the domestic supply chain, while the region-led model enhances cooperation among specialized materials and components districts. The glass package substrate and EUV pellicle projects were selected as ecosystem completion models, while the factory-customized mobility platform was chosen as a region-led model.
The third group of super 을 companies includes Hanwha Ocean, Senik Systems, EoTechnics, EcoPro BM, and Doosan Electronic Industry. They will develop key equipment for submarine fuel cells, AI-based organic light-emitting diode (OLED) autonomous deposition equipment, ultra-fast laser heat treatment equipment, sulfide solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries, and low-loss materials and antenna modules for satellite communications. Each selected company will receive 20 billion won for R&D projects lasting over seven years.
The Ministry plans to establish a core strategy map for materials and components by the end of this year and will reorganize the current 200 core strategic technologies. Technologies with significant industrial impact, such as AI and advanced materials, will be newly included, while those that have already achieved self-sufficiency will be excluded.
To accelerate the commercialization of developed technologies, the government will introduce a validation and evaluation system utilizing robot-based automation experimental environments and digital twins. The third group of specialized materials and components districts, considering national balanced development and the industrial AI transition policy, is expected to be selected within the year.
Moon Shin-hak, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "We will cultivate materials and components companies that remain resilient amid the global supply chain restructuring and strengthen the competitiveness of the materials and components industry by reflecting the diverse cooperation needs of demand and supply companies."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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