The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) said the investment will support 20 projects in the next two years as part of the AI Applied Product Rapid Commercialisation Support Project.
It emphasised that it would support the development and commercialisation of products and services that can produce outcomes within one to two years using AI technologies in real marine and fisheries field settings.
Five projects will receive KRW2bn for a one‑year development period, while fifteen projects will be funded at KRW1bn per year over two years.
Participating companies must invest at least 30 per cent of total project costs as private matching funds.
The initiative spans seven application areas considered critical to the future competitiveness of the sector, including marine engineering and resource development, marine environmental monitoring and forecasting, port and logistics operations, maritime safety and transport, aquaculture, fisheries production and processing, and marine biotechnology.
Accelerating market entry
A key component of the programme is its requirement that only domestic companies directly involved in product development or manufacturing are eligible to act as project leads.
Universities, public institutions and research organisations may participate, but only as members of a consortium anchored by a private‑sector company.
MOF said this was deliberate to “maximise industrial impact”.
The ministry states that this structure ensured that commercial benefits, intellectual property and technological capabilities remain within Korea’s corporate ecosystem, thereby facilitating faster market entry for new AI‑based solutions.
“Through this project, we expect AI technologies to move beyond the laboratory and be applied in real-world settings, helping solve challenges in the marine and fisheries sector and creating new markets,” said Seo Jeong‑ho, Director‑General for Marine Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology Promotion (KIMST) has been designated to oversee the full lifecycle of the programme.
Its responsibilities include project selection, evaluation, progress monitoring and budget execution.
In addition, the institute will develop follow‑up initiatives to support the broader dissemination and scaling of successful outputs, signalling the government’s intention to build a sustained and long‑term pipeline for marine‑AI deployment rather than a single funding round.
“We look forward to active participation from capable companies that can strengthen the competitiveness of the marine and fisheries industry,” said Seo.
The call for proposals is open from March 19 to April 20.
