The government will invest 2.4251 trillion won in health care research and development (R&D) next year. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said this at the 4th Health Care Technology Policy Deliberation Committee meeting held in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 18th.
Next year's health care research and development budget is up 14% from this year. The ministry will invest 1.0652 trillion won. Others include the Ministry of Science and ICT (748.1 billion won), the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (297.4 billion won), the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (197.3 billion won), and the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety (117.1 billion won).
The ministry, together with the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, has prepared the "health care research and development roadmap" (2026–2030). Aiming to become one of the top five biohealth powers, it will select and support 30 national flagship technologies. It will develop quantum computing technology and build an artificial intelligence (AI) medical system.
The ministry plans to raise the health care technology level from 79.4% as of 2022 to 85%. This figure is a comparison using the United States as 100%. It also aims to increase healthy life expectancy from 78.4 years to 80 years. Vice Minister Lee Hyeong-hun of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "We will establish a research base to secure future growth engines."