Government Launches Competition for Regional Food Cluster Hubs to Support Startups and R&D
Creatrip Team
6 months ago
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced a public contest to build 'regional food cluster hubs' to boost local food industries and provide systematic support for food startups and technology development. Two regions will be selected in this pilot for a 2026 food convergence cluster project; applications are open until next month on the Digital Food Information Platform. Each hub will be led by a provincial government and link public agencies, research institutes, universities and business support organizations to offer end-to-end services: startup training, product planning and R&D, prototype production, commercialization, marketing and market access. This coordinated industry–academia–research–government (산·학·연·관) model aims to overcome the previous fragmented support system. The ministry plans to expand to nine regional hubs by 2030 and connect them to the national food cluster in Iksan, Jeonbuk, allowing local firms to use its facilities and equipment. Officials hope the program will spread the national cluster’s expertise nationwide and strengthen regional food-sector competitiveness.
