Minister Bae Kyung-hun of the Ministry of Science and ICT stated that he will fully restore the foundational research ecosystem damaged by cuts in the research and development (R&D) budget by next year and systematically secure grassroots research personnel at the site.
Minister Bae said at a conference on foundational research held at Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on the 7th, "We will start restoration this year and restore it to over 100% by next year, going beyond just restoration to full recovery," adding, "I have felt that investment in technology needs to be sustainable and predictable, and I will push strongly for it."
This conference was organized to reflect the voices from the field of research in the 'Basic Research Promotion Plan (tentative title)' that the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to announce in November. Researchers representing diverse experiences, regions, and genders shared challenges in the field and suggested improvements.
Recently, there have been concerns in the research community that the number of foundational research projects has significantly decreased, harming academic diversity and diminishing research autonomy and predictability due to sudden project cancellations and uniform cuts in research funding.
At the conference, various improvement measures were discussed for the rapid recovery and sustainable growth of the foundational research ecosystem. In particular, opinions were expressed on restoring grassroots research, which is also a pledge of the Lee Jae-myung government, as well as recovering the number of foundational research projects and alleviating the administrative burden of research.
Professor Kim Doo-ri of Hanyang University's Department of Chemistry pointed out, "While a forest may burn down in an instant, it takes years to recover. It would be good to have continuous support for grassroots projects for several years," adding, "Recently, there seems to be an excessive focus on global projects as well as top-down initiatives."
Discussions also continued on measures to flexibly respond to changing environments, such as expanding research infrastructure at universities, integrating fundamental science with artificial intelligence (AI), and retaining excellent research personnel while attracting global talent.
Minister Bae said, "Globally, we are making at least minimal investments in AI, and there is a sense of urgency that we must not fall behind in global competition. Just as everyone recognizes that investment in AI and quantum technology is essential, I would like to create a platform where the research agenda in various foundational fields can effectively capture public interest and where the government can provide concentrated support."
He added, "To create an environment conducive to research, we will make improvements to significantly reduce administrative burdens," stating, "We are discussing how to create an environment where research professors and non-tenured faculty can continuously conduct research with stable positions and will provide an answer soon."
Immediately after the conference, Minister Bae visited the major research facilities at the Chungbuk Quantum Research Center, one of the only national universities in Korea to possess quantum computers, and encouraged researchers, including student researchers.