Eighteen domestic researchers who will carry out world-class basic research were newly selected this year for support under "leader research."
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 27th the new selections for leader research under the 2026 basic research program and said support for the selected researchers will begin on June 1.
Leader research is a program that selects outstanding basic researchers and provides long-term support for up to nine years. It is divided into type A, which provides 800 million won per researcher per year, and the newly established type B (Top-Tier), which provides 1.6 billion won per year. This year, a total of 18 were selected: 15 for type A and three for type B.
Type B included Kim Geun-su of Yonsei University, Joo Young-seok of KAIST, and Kwon Seong-hoon of Seoul National University. Kim will work to identify the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity through research on quantum-material superconductivity. Joo will analyze cellular heterogeneity and the LINE-1 transposition mechanism observed in aging and carcinogenesis to uncover the causes of disease onset. Kwon will pursue the discovery of immune biomarkers needed for next-generation healthcare by using large-scale immune data.
Fifteen were selected for type A, including Martin Steinegger of Seoul National University, Noh Yong-young of Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH, Kim Yu-seon of Ajou University, and Lee Jong-seok of GIST. Steinegger will conduct research to build an in silico immune system to respond to emerging pathogens. Noh will undertake research on perovskite semiconductors to implement next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, and Kim will conduct research on immunogenic cell death related to regulating cancer cell activity. Lee aims to secure foundational technologies for next-generation quantum materials based on control of nonequilibrium quantum states.
Among those selected this time were many researchers born in the 1980s. The Ministry of Science and ICT expects that young researchers will be able to continue challenging basic research with long-term and stable support.
Kim Seong-su, director general for research and development policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "To strengthen basic research capacity, it is important to have an environment where researchers can focus on their work stably," and noted, "Through leader research, we will support excellent researchers so they can continue their work with sufficient resources."