The innovation centers the government has established across the country will be a hub of the government’s smart factory project.

The joint state-private task force established to support the smart factory project signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with 18 Centers for Creative Economy and Innovation to cooperate on building smart factories.

Under the deal, the innovation centers will be in charge of transforming at least 600 small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in local areas into smart factories.

To that end, the task force will provide 30 billion won for the innovation centers for two years beginning next year.

Technical experts from Samsung Electronics will also provide the innovation centers with technical assistance. In August, The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy agreed with Samsung Electronics to cooperate on the smart factory project by each investing 15 billion won for two years.

Smart factories are automated assembly lines that combine existing production lines with information communication technology. The government announced last year that it will create 10-thousand smart factories by 2020.