The Ministry of Science and ICT on the 7th announced a comprehensive plan to secure science and technology innovation and talent, prepared jointly with related ministries, at the "National report meeting to dream of being a science and technology professional again," held at the National Science Museum in Daejeon. The government said it will build a talent training and utilization system that continues from the elementary and secondary levels to research sites and industrial sites, while also pushing for efficiency in research and development (R&D) investment and improvements to the research environment.
Vice Premier and Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon said, "We will create a research ecosystem where outstanding talent gathers and delivers innovative results," adding, "We will properly operate the record-high 35 trillion won R&D budget to realize 'Korea that dreams of being a science and technology professional again.'"
◇ New "national scientist" system… Expanded AI education and overseas talent attraction
The government will strengthen math and science education at the elementary and secondary levels and expand scholarships and fellowships for outstanding science and engineering university (and graduate) students and early-career researchers. In particular, researchers with world-class research achievements will be designated as "national scientists," with around 100 to be selected over the next five years. Those selected will receive a presidential certificate, research funding support, and opportunities to participate in national R&D planning and policy.
Artificial intelligence (AI) education will be expanded through university science AI research centers and the AI-X national representative training program, focusing on GPU- and data-based projects. In addition, the government will strengthen linkages between science high schools for the gifted and institutes of science and technology, and foster institutes of science and technology as regional AI innovation hubs.
It also presented a goal to attract 2,000 outstanding and early-career overseas researchers by 2030. The government will strengthen support for connecting employment for international students in Korea and extend the job-seeking visa period from two to three years. The fast-track for permanent residency and naturalization will be expanded from the four institutes of science and technology and the University of Science and Technology (UST) to include international students at general universities.
The graduate scholarship benefit rate will be increased from the current 1.3% to 10% by 2030, and the research living allowance (stipend) system will be expanded to 55 universities. The minimum payment is 800,000 won per month for master's students and 1.1 million won per month for doctoral students.
The number of university faculty and professional research positions will be increased, and the scale of hiring early-career researchers at government-funded institutes will be expanded to around 600 per year. Opportunities for young and early-career researchers to enter the public sector will also be broadened. In addition, the government will work to strengthen the private research base through expanding basic research, promoting concurrent appointments across industry, academia, and research, and creating a corporate researcher development fund.
The government will introduce a new program next year to support continued research after the mandatory retirement age and expand benefits for extending the retirement age and reemployment for outstanding researchers at government-funded institutes.
◇ Reduction of administrative forms, phased abolition of PBS
Research administration will be restructured to center on researcher autonomy and responsibility. Ten percent of direct costs can be used freely, and indirect costs will shift to a negative-list regulation. Administrative forms that differed by ministry and specialized agency will be streamlined to focus on required forms, and additional data requests will, in principle, be restricted.
Administrative and equipment management tasks previously handled by researchers and labs will be shifted to institutions. To this end, the government will also reorganize block funding and research support personnel systems.
In addition, to correct the project procurement–centered research ecosystem of government-funded research institutes, the Project Based System (PBS) will be phased out.
To secure strategic technologies such as AI and quantum early, the government will establish a challenge-type, mission-centric track and promote the large-scale "NEXT Project" in collaboration between the private and public sectors. The government said it will adjust and select national strategic technologies by the end of the year and set a goal of securing at least 10 world No. 1–level strategic technologies by 2030. The plan also includes fostering five "K-Tech national companies."
Operating authority for research projects will be broadly granted to private-sector experts, and private matching ratios will be eased. Performance evaluations will shift to qualitative assessments that prioritize innovativeness over formality, and evaluation committees will be run under a real-name system by building a pool of 6,000 members.
The government will secure an R&D budget at a level of 5% of total expenditure each year and promote investment efficiency through AI-based analysis. Data produced in the government R&D process will not be discarded and will be shifted to a sharing system. The government will also introduce a regional autonomous R&D system in which local governments are responsible for planning, execution, and performance, and foster regional hub universities into institutions with research capabilities on par with institutes of science and technology.