The Ministry of Science and ICT designated 12 research centers as "leading research centers" to nurture influential research groups that will drive world-class basic research. The selected centers will receive annual research funding of 1.5 billion–5 billion won for up to 10 years.
Gu Hyuk-chae, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said at the "Leading research center plaque-awarding ceremony and meeting" held at the President Hotel in Seoul on the 30th, "Future science and technology innovation begins in a vibrant university research ecosystem," and added, "The government will be a reliable partner so that the newly launched leading research centers can grow into global research hubs." That day, Vice Minister Gu presented designation certificates and plaques to the 12 research centers newly selected this year.
The leading research center program is a representative group research program that provides long-term support to research groups that will drive world-class basic research. Launched in 1990, the program began with the science field (SRC), which supports pure natural science research, and the engineering field (ERC), which aims to secure international-level technology. It has since expanded its scope to the basic medical science field (MRC), which deals with health and disease research; the regional innovation field (RLRC), which fosters local talent and strengthens research capacity; the convergence field (CRC), which creates new knowledge; and the innovation field (IRC), which seeks global achievements in strategic technologies.
To date, a total of 3.2 trillion won has been invested in 477 centers, which has greatly strengthened the basic research base and talent cultivation at universities in Korea.
This year, three sites in the science field were newly designated, including marine substance circulation (Hanyang University), electrochemical molecular conversion (Pusan National University), and tissue sensation and immunity (Hanyang University), and three in the engineering field, including supersensory robot cognition (Kookmin University), AI construction infrastructure (Sungkyunkwan University), and bio-ice interface control (Korea University). In the basic medical science field, four were selected, including cardiovascular disease control (Chonnam National University and Inje University), antifibrotic drugs for the lung (Chungbuk National University), and data-based disease research (Yonsei University). In addition, centers for energy resource recirculation (Chosun University) and space service and manufacturing (KAIST) were included.
At the subsequent meeting, researchers proposed activating an "alumni (graduates)" system to create opportunities to share research strategies and know-how. Kim Yong-hwan, chairman of SRC and ERC and a professor in the Department of Energy Chemical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), said, "Leveraging the alumni network would greatly help strengthen research capacity and secure sustainability."
In response, Vice Minister Gu Hyuk-chae emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation among industry, academia, and research institutes and to expand investment participation. Vice Minister Gu said, "Although the government has significantly increased the budget, industry, academia, and research institutes must put their heads together and join in investment," and added, "With the current low birthrate and manpower shortage, even if scholarships are offered, there are not enough applicants, so research institutes or corporations must establish a fair compensation system from the perspective of labor demand."
He went on to ask, "As the government is making every effort to secure science and engineering talent, researchers in SRC, ERC, and CRC should actively step up to invigorate industry-academia cooperation."