This study analyzes the domestic and international environments that enable the participation of small and venture company in system-level development across six advanced strategic industries in the defense sector, using PEST and SWOT analytical frame...
This study analyzes the domestic and international environments that enable the participation of small and venture company in system-level development across six advanced strategic industries in the defense sector, using PEST and SWOT analytical frameworks. The analysis shows that major advanced countries have established institutional mechanisms that allow small and venture companies to participate from the early stages of system development by linking standardization, certification, and procurement processes. In contrast, although Korea operates various programs to support small and venture companies, institutional pathways that structurally enable their participation in system-level development remain insufficient. To address these limitations, this paper proposes an operational framework for the Defense Innovation Specialized Company Designation System. Under this framework, small and venture companies possessing advanced defense technologies are designated based on standard- and certification-based criteria and are enabled to form consortia with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, R&D lead organizations, and prime contractors from the initial planning stages of system development programs. The proposed framework provides policy implications for strengthening the integration of civilian advanced technologies into the defense sector and expanding the participation of small and venture companies in system-level development.