The government will invest 125 billion won next year to secure national strategic technologies and expand the technology industry.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Science and Technology Research Council (NST) announced on the 24th that they have begun the process to select the 'Global TOP Strategic Research Group' for next year.
The Global TOP Strategic Research Group is a research support project initiated this year to lower the barriers between government-funded research institutes and establish a mission-oriented collaboration system. The Ministry of Science and ICT reviewed 51 proposals received this year and has selected five research groups. Beginning with a budget of 100 billion won this year, it will expand to 125 billion won next year.
Next year's Global TOP Strategic Research Group will increase the scale of support while reflecting the diverse research areas of government-funded research institutes. It will select both national strategic and future challenge research to support the development of new technological fields.
National strategic research will select missions necessary for strengthening the competitiveness of three major game-changing technologies: quantum, artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, and advanced biopharmaceuticals, as well as 12 national strategic technologies. Individual research projects will receive more than 10 billion won in support, with a total investment of 100 billion won.
Future challenge research will strengthen unique missions of government-funded research institutes that are difficult for industry and academia to carry out, and will select challenging missions based on collaboration between research institutes and universities for the development of new technology areas. Research groups that carry out challenging and innovative tasks on a budget of around 5 billion won annually will be selected. The total investment scale for next year is 25 billion won.
The Ministry of Science and ICT will actively pursue policies for innovation in government-funded research institutes starting next year, including expanding support for the Global TOP Strategic Research Group, designating the National Science and Technology Research Laboratory (NSTL), fostering convergence research among early-career researchers, and introducing the national special research system.
Lee Chang-yoon, first vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, 'Government-funded research institutions should become a hub of research cooperation that conducts national missions such as securing strategic technologies and creates large-scale outcomes that the public can feel.' He added, 'We will continue to expand support for strategic research groups to solve the difficult challenges scattered across various fields of science and technology.'
Kim Young-sik, chairman of the Science and Technology Research Council, said, 'In an era of fierce global technological hegemony competition, we will enhance the integrity of R&D in government-funded research institutes and produce tangible results at the highest global level.' He emphasized, 'We will provide maximum support to ensure that the results can benefit the nation and the people by achieving innovative and challenging goals.'