Public Procurement Service holds 3rd innovative product designation ceremony, covering medical care, public safety and climate response
Innovative products set to address a wide range of public challenges — from medical care and eldercare to public safety and climate response — have taken their first step into the public market.
The Public Procurement Service held its third innovative product designation ceremony of 2026 at the Daejeon Government Complex on Friday, presenting designation certificates to 80 innovative products.
The newly designated products draw on cutting-edge technology across multiple fields, including AI, biotech health, robotics, smart cities, disaster and safety, and environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality.
Among the designated products, AI-based brain imaging analysis software, a fully automated molecular diagnostics system and a patient-transport care robot are designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of medical services. An AI road snow-melting system, a smart pool safety management system and a wildfire detection solution will strengthen disaster prevention and public safety. On the environmental front, an electric vehicle free-charging zone system with AI-based power forecasting, an energy-saving refrigerator and an eco-friendly hybrid activated carbon product are intended to advance long-term environmental sustainability.
The latest round of designations reflects consistent expansion of the innovative procurement program. The total number of designated innovative products has grown 30 percent compared with the first half of last year, rising from 228 to 297, while public purchasing volume climbed 10 percent — from 431.9 billion won ($294 million) to 476.9 billion won — underscoring the program's role as a foundation for the growth of innovative companies and the improvement of public services.
This year, the agency streamlined the review process by integrating public-interest and innovation assessments, cutting the evaluation period and expanding the number of annual designation opportunities from three to four, allowing innovative companies to enter the public market more quickly.
In the second half of the year, the agency plans to further energize the innovative procurement system by establishing an evaluation framework for physical AI products, easing patent requirements for AI software products, revamping the innovation marketplace and improving designation procedures to draw more strategic industries into the program.
"The efforts to expand innovative procurement that we have been pushing in earnest since last year are bearing fruit — in the form of more designated products, higher public purchasing volumes and a growing number of success stories from innovative companies," Public Procurement Service Commissioner Baek Seung-bo said. "In the second half, we will concentrate our innovative procurement capabilities on strategic industries to actively identify future growth engines such as AI, robotics and climate technology, and we will spare no effort in supporting innovative companies as they grow into a solid pillar of the national economy."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
