| ⓒ Mungyeong Citizen Newspaper |
Gyeongsangbuk-do was finally selected for the ‘Food Tech Research Support Center’ project hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, securing a total project cost of 15.5 billion won, including 5.2 billion won in government funds.
This project is to build three research support centers nationwide in the fields of food robots, plant-based substitutes, and food upcycling among the 10 core technologies* in the food tech field. Gyeongbuk was selected in the food robot field.
* Cell cultured food production technology, plant-based food manufacturing, convenience food manufacturing, food printing, supermarket manufacturing, distribution, food upcycling, food customization, eco-friendly packaging, food robots
Gyeongbuk Province has proposed the ‘K-Kitchen Project’ and 10 food tech core technology fields to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for public contest and reflected them in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ ‘Basic Plan for Food Industry Promotion (2023~2027)’, laying the foundation for the center construction project. Efforts were made to prepare.
Gyeongbuk Province will invest a total of KRW 15.5 billion over 3 years from this year to 2026 in the Pohang City Convergence Technology Business District (6,636㎡ of land) to build a research support center with space for companies, a technology demonstration center, and kitchen incubation.
The center provides customized support for the development of prototypes using facilities and equipment, as well as technology development and empirical research fields that are highly demanded by companies.
In addition, it lowers the burden on companies by supporting the production and test analysis fees of Korea’s first NSF* food device certified prototype and provides a stepping stone for entering overseas markets such as the U.S. and Europe.
* NSF (National Sanitaion Foundation): An internationally recognized organization that inspects food-related equipment that may cause contamination in contact with food ingredients, ensuring safety and reliability related to hygiene in the global market.
In addition, from the initial stage of food robot technology development, technology development tailored to the needs and conditions of restaurant companies will be applied, and furthermore, a futuristic K-kitchen ecosystem will be built by implementing customized kitchen automation for each type of restaurant company.
According to related research results*, the operation of the center was analyzed to have an economic ripple effect of 38.2 billion won in production inducement, 16.7 billion won in added value inducement, and employment inducement of 261 people.
* Research name: Food tech-based food industry promotion plan (Gyeongbuk TP)
The development of food tech companies is expected to enable the simultaneous growth of not only food-related industries but also various forward and backward industries such as smart manufacturing, kitchen materials and equipment companies, and the restaurant industry.
Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, “We plan to build the nation’s first food tech research support center in the food robot field to fill the growth plate of a new industry connecting the semiconductor and battery industries in Gyeongbuk.” He added, “We will do our best to establish it as a support facility as a base for the national food tech innovation cluster.” “He said.
