The government has drawn up a pan-ministerial action plan for 2026 to foster and secure national strategic technologies in response to the global competition for technological hegemony. The plan aims to raise competitiveness in strategic technologies by bundling expanded research and development (R&D) investment, policy finance supply, stronger technology security, and talent development.
The Ministry of Science and ICT said on the 13th it held the 13th special committee meeting on national strategic technologies and approved the 2026 implementation plan for the First Basic Plan for Fostering National Strategic Technologies (2024-2028). The implementation plan is an annual plan under the special act on fostering national strategic technologies as part of a mid- to long-term policy, and this year it also focuses on laying the groundwork for a shift to a new strategic technology framework.
The government presented three directions in the plan. First, to secure strategic technologies, it will strengthen support systems so that R&D outcomes can lead to commercialization and market entry. It also plans to broaden responses to technology security and to launch in earnest a system that links policy, investment, and technology around the achievement of national missions.
First, for technology development corporations, it will strengthen support across the entire cycle from startup to overseas expansion and patent acquisition. It will broaden region-based research and demonstration infrastructure and continue to push for talent development and recruitment in strategic technology fields.
The pan-ministerial cooperation system will also be revamped. In line with directions to improve the technology management system, the government plans to derive 19 common technology areas based on four laws related to strategic technologies and 513 technologies and to push cooperation in those areas first. It plans to further expand the scope of application going forward.
In 2026, the government will expand investment in national strategic technology research and development by 30% from a year earlier to 8.6 trillion won and continue the upward trend in 2027. It plans to supply a total of 46.6 trillion won in policy finance. In February, it also launched the first Science and Technology Innovation Fund worth 763.2 billion won for five national strategic technology fields, including semiconductors and displays and artificial intelligence (AI).
The government will also support researchers' startups and, linked to public procurement, help the early market entry of research and development outcomes. For promising startups in strategic technology fields, it will provide corporate R&D and overseas expansion support, and for "certified strategic technology corporations," it will expand tailored support, including extra points in R&D projects and finance, consulting, and IR.
It will also promote the on-site diffusion of research outcomes centered on regional technology innovation hubs and strategic technology specialized laboratories, such as Jeju green hydrogen and North Jeolla secondary batteries. In terms of talent policy, it will advance data-driven talent policy, train convergence-type personnel that combine strategic technologies and AI, and strengthen support for attracting and settling overseas researchers.
On the technology security front, overhauling the national strategic technology framework was presented as a key task. Reflecting the AI transition, changes in trade and security environments, and the creation of a foundation for future innovation, the government will upgrade the strategic technology framework in the first half of this year and draw up a new acquisition strategy to match. To speed up government R&D, it will introduce a pre-check system following the abolition of preliminary feasibility studies to enhance timeliness.
The government also said it will actively participate in key multilateral consultative bodies in strategic technology fields such as AI, semiconductors, and quantum, respond to discussions on global norms and standards, and strengthen technology partnerships with major countries through international joint research and overseas cooperation hubs.
In line with amendments to laws related to research security, it will review adjustments to the strategic technology protection system, and the plan also includes strengthening technology security capabilities through focused investment in defense strategic technologies such as AI, unmanned systems, and defense semiconductors.
The government will also fully introduce the National Strategic Technology NEXT Project, which is based on linking "technology-policy-investment," and strengthen structures in which ministries and the private sector participate together through a public-private cooperation platform. In research settings, it will promote a shift to a performance-centered research system by gradually abolishing the project-based system (PBS).
Meanwhile, at the meeting, the government also reported the results of a specific evaluation of Phase 1 (2023-2025) of the innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR) technology development project, one of the national strategic technology flagship projects. The evaluation confirmed that the project is generally proceeding as planned, but it also presented the view that management improvements at the project group level are needed to carry out follow-up tasks without setbacks and achieve the goals.
Park In-gyu, Chairperson of the strategic technology special committee and head of the Science and Technology Innovation Center at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "The government will strengthen support to foster and secure national strategic technologies through collaboration that breaks down barriers between ministries and will build a national strategic technology innovation ecosystem that overcomes the global competition for technological hegemony by facilitating the swift creation of outcomes."