Park In-kyu, head of the Ministry of Science and ICT's Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters, emphasized the need to maintain the existing principle of selection and concentration, and large-scale projects in the allocation of research and development (R&D) budgets, while also considering the diversity, stability, and autonomy of the research ecosystem.
In a post titled "Diversity, autonomy, and stability" on Facebook on the 17th, the Deputy Minister stated, "Even if we maintain the existing philosophy of selection and concentration and large-scale projects for big trees, we must consider the diversity, stability, and autonomy for the forest in budget allocation."
Appointed as the head of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters on the 13th, the Deputy Minister, a former particle physicist, leads the innovation headquarters that reviews and adjusts the national R&D budget and evaluates its outcomes.
He noted, "Two years ago, a sudden cut in the R&D budget caused confusion in the science and technology community," adding, "Not everyone was equally affected; many new R&D projects were created, and many projects scaled up."
He continued, "It is natural to focus on the national industrial strategy sectors and large-scale funding to achieve maximum results with limited resources, but if all ecosystems do not grow together, eventually, the big trees will perish," emphasizing the need for balanced growth within the ecosystem behind selection and concentration.
The Deputy Minister particularly cited the fields of basic science and small-scale technology development centered around small and medium-sized enterprises, stating, "The research in these areas has diverse subjects, and even if the funding amounts are small, stable and continuous investment is often more important. There is a need to ensure autonomy in research promotion and budget execution outside of the existing framework."