The government will invest 1.178 trillion won in materials and components technology development this year, a 3.2% increase from last year (1.141 trillion won).
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has announced the '2025 Materials and Components Technology Development Project' and will invest in materials and components technology development, including semiconductors (136.1 billion won), displays (101.9 billion won), secondary batteries (100.9 billion won), and biotechnology (102.8 billion won), as noted on the 4th.
Specifically, it will support 26 new projects, including 'development of rare metal materials for semiconductor thin film deposition,' 'development of next-generation display light-emitting materials,' 'development of solid electrolyte materials for all-solid-state batteries,' and 'development of bio-ink materials for rapid neovascularization.'
Additionally, it will invest in material development to enhance the high added value and eco-friendly competitiveness of key industries such as machinery and metals (305.3 billion won), automobiles (89 billion won), and chemicals (111.3 billion won). A total of 736.3 billion won will also be invested in material development to seize opportunities in promising future industries, including aerospace (62.8 billion won) and hydrogen (20 billion won).
It will also invest in technologies to implement the 'Petrochemical Industry Competitiveness Enhancement Plan' announced by the government last December. This includes support for 66 new projects such as the development of biodegradable plastic materials and resource recycling polymer materials and application technologies.
Functionally, it will continuously expand research and development (R&D) to stabilize the supply chain of materials and components. Following investments of 17.6 billion won in 2023 and 76.6 billion won in 2024, 131.2 billion won will be invested this year to support the development of alternative materials for 185 items and re-resource utilization.
To stimulate private investment in the materials and components sector, the government will invest in investment-linked technology development where it responds to projects that have attracted private investment with technology development funds. This year's investment amount is 30.72 billion won, an increase of 78% compared to the previous year (16.98 billion won).
On the 5th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the materials and components technology development project and plans to select new project performing organizations by April. Relevant technology development details and forms can be found on the R&D digital platform of the Korea Industrial Technology Planning and Evaluation Agency or the Integrated Research Support System IRIS site.
Park Sang-hwa, director of industrial supply chain policy, emphasized, "Through challenging and innovative materials and components technology development, we will support the technology gap of advanced industries and stabilize the supply chain, while quickly promoting technology development by integrating artificial intelligence (AI)-based material digital development methods."