중기부-룩셈부르크 경제부, 지속가능 혁신 위한 온라인 양해각서 체결
지난 12월 8일, 대한민국 중소벤처기업부와 룩셈부르크 경제부는 중소기업과 스타트업의 지속 가능한 혁신에 관한 협력 양해각서를 온라인으로 체결했다.
이번 양해각서는 룩셈부르크에 친환경 분야 중소기업의 현지 진출을 지원하는 ‘스마트 그린 비즈니스센터(SGBC)’ 설립을 추진 하기 위함이다.
’스마트 그린 비즈니스센터’는 한국의 아시아유럽정상회의 중소기업친환경혁신센터(ASEM SME Eco Innovation Center, ASEIC)가 한국기업을 모집, 선발하고 룩셈부르크 혁신청(LUXINNOVATION)이 현지 활동을 지원하는 것을 골자로 한다.
유럽의 친환경, 디지털 전환 정책 등 현지 진출에 필요한 정보제공, 기술 현지 실증, 협력기업 발굴, 단기 현지 보육 및 법인 설립 등에 대해 2021년 시범사업을 거쳐 2022년부터 본격 지원할 예정이다.
Promoting sustainable growth and mitigating climate change are major priorities in both South Korea and Luxembourg. Cleantech is one of the priority sectors of Luxembourg’s data-driven innovation strategy, and the Korean government is actively supporting companies in the fields of smart mobility and green technologies. The Smart Green Business Centre (SGBC) to be set up in Luxembourg by ASEIC, a Korean eco-innovation centre under the country’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is therefore a natural connection between the two countries.
A European green business centre
ASEIC facilitates cooperation between Europe and Asia, and started in 2017 to analyse Denmark and Luxembourg as possible locations for its European centre. ASEIC visited Luxembourg several times. The contributions provided by Luxinnovation, the national innovation agency, and the support of the project expressed by the South Korean and Luxembourg Prime Ministers when they met in 2018, led ASEIC to finally choose Luxembourg.
“Once SGBC has been established in Luxembourg, it will help promising Korean SMEs and start-ups expand their markets to Europe through Luxembourg,” says Younhee Kim, Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade & Investment Office in Seoul who has actively supported the initiative since the beginning. “It can also help European companies find projects in south-east Asia.”
Facilitating collaboration
SGBC will be set up in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Minister Park and Minister Fayot. Managed by the Asia-Europe Meeting SMEs Innovation Centre and supported by Luxinnovation, its aim will be to facilitate green and digital collaborative projects between Luxembourg and Korean SMEs and start-ups with a view to identify and develop successful green business models. It will also facilitate joint research, technology transfer, marketing cooperation, the creation of joint ventures and the organisation of networking events.
“I am proud that we signed this MoU aimed at establishing a smart Green Business Centre Europe in Luxembourg to facilitate sustainable and digital collaborative projects among SMEs and start-ups of our two countries, with a common goal to promote green innovation and growth,” said Minister Fayot.
I am proud that we signed this MoU aimed at establishing a smart Green Business Centre Europe in Luxembourg.
“Luxembourg is the world’s number one powerhouse in terms of per capita GDP and labour productivity by developing connectivity and innovation capabilities with neighbouring countries,” commented Minister Park. “With Luxembourg as a bridgehead, we expect that competent Korean SMEs and start-ups will expand to Europe.”
