Chairman and President Chung Yang-ho of Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT).

Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) said on May 16 that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) instituted special directions to support SMEs and “superstars,” which suffer due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, while carrying industrial technology R&D activities.

The guidelines are designed to help those businesses undertake R&D activities in a stable fashion despite the economic crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19.

The government will dramatically reduce the financial burden on the private sector for matching funds SMEs the businesses shoulder while carrying out R&D tasks.

SMEs and medium-sized superstars will have payments of their technology fees deferred and reduced or exempted. And cash will be provided to support research personnel.

Beneficiaries are all SMEs and medium-sized superstars who have received support in their R&D outlays from R&D institutions such as KEIT, Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) and Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP).

These measures are to be in place until the end of this year. Whether they will be extended or not will be determined after further looking into the economic damages, caused by the spread of the virus.

KEIT Chairman and President Chung Yang-ho said, “We’ll make all-out efforts so that all companies participating in R&D tasks can receive support in accordance with the special direction and continue to explore and correct grievances and complaint the research field experience.”

BIT Computer has developed an AI-assisted convergence medical service platform under the support of KEIT. (Photos: KEIT)

BIT Computer Research Put in JMIR mHealth and uHealth

Outcomes of research by BIT Computer, supported by KEIT, were carried in the internationally authoritative medical care ournal JMIR mHealth and uHealth on March 30.

BIT Computer analyzed factors influencing acceptance of technology on a personal health record app to promote health of worksites targeting workers and health experts.

Researchers conducted a survey of 687 workers and 179 health experts to verify a research model adding as a major variable perceived risk in the United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology.

Findings of the survey showed that social influence served as the biggest one among major variables on the intention of the use of personal health record apps among workers and health experts.

The research outcomes were excavated in the course of the development and verification of “workers’ health management services, part of a personal health record-based health management system tailored to meet personal needs being undertaken under the creative industry/future growth engine project.

Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology headquarters in Daegu.