The government unveiled a new roadmap that will set which fields and by what criteria the national research and development (R&D) budget will be invested over the next five years. The idea is to designate the technologies the nation will foster—such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, bio, quantum, and space—and bundle performance targets with investment methods.
The Ministry of Science and ICT held a public hearing on Jul. 2 at El Tower in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on the Second National R&D Mid- to Long-term Investment Strategy (2026-2030) and heard from industry-academia-research experts and on-site participants.
The mid- to long-term investment strategy is a statutory plan based on the Framework Act on Science and Technology and is the top-level investment strategy that sets the broad direction of government R&D spending. While the Sixth Basic Plan for Science and Technology, finalized last month, laid out the goals of science and technology policy, this strategy can be seen as a roadmap for how to translate those goals into actual budgets and projects.
The overarching framework of the draft strategy is summarized as the N.E.X.T investment strategy. N stands for intensive fostering of flagship technologies, E for strengthening sovereignty in future technologies, X for expanding the research ecosystem, and T for streamlining the investment system. Through this, the government set targets of becoming a top-3 AI power, a top-5 science and technology power, and achieving 90% of the technology competitiveness of the leading nation by 2030.
The intensive fostering of flagship technologies covers AI, semiconductors and displays, secondary batteries, next-generation communications, and advanced mobility. The government will secure world-class AI models and pursue AI transformation (AX) across industries by 2030. In semiconductors and displays, it set goals of ranking second globally in the system semiconductor market share and fostering five unicorn corporations; in secondary batteries, it aims to commercialize next-generation batteries and achieve self-reliance in core material supply chains. For next-generation communications, key tasks include commercializing 6G and demonstrating low-Earth orbit satellites, while advanced mobility will focus on commercializing Level 4 Autonomous Driving and developing urban air mobility (UAM) technologies.
The strengthening of sovereignty in future technologies includes advanced bio, quantum, robots, and supply chain and security-related technologies such as materials, energy, defense, and space. In bio, the goals are to develop two blockbuster new drugs and foster three unicorn corporations; in quantum, to demonstrate a 100-qubit-class quantum processor and verify a 100-kilometer-class quantum network. For robots, the government will pursue mass production of Humanoid Robot models by 2030 and achieve a 70% localization rate for core components.
The expansion of the research ecosystem includes basic research, government-funded research institutes (출연연), talent, regions, and support for small and venture firms. The government said it will establish basic research investment at around 10% of government R&D and reorganize government-funded research institutes around large, long-term national missions. In talent, it set targets of ranking within the global top 20 and a net inflow of 500 talents by 2030. For regional R&D, the core is completing the "5 poles and 3 specialties" innovation hubs and fostering 350 regional deep-tech startups.
Streamlining the investment system means reforming how R&D budgets are formulated, managed, and evaluated. The government said it will integrate and manage fragmented small-scale projects by technology fields, strengthen pre-checks for large R&D projects, and tighten reviews of research equipment. It also included adopting AI throughout the entire process of budget formulation, project management, and evaluation.
Kim Young-su, director of research and development investment planning at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "We used AI to analyze 33.81 million science and technology papers published over the past 20 years and major science and technology policy documents such as national agendas to determine investment areas," adding, "More than 400 experts participated, and the plan underwent more than 30 rounds of discussions."
In the subsequent panel discussion, participants offered evaluations of the strategy's direction and proposed complementary tasks. Son Ji-won, head of research planning and coordination at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), identified the abolition of the project-based system (PBS) and the establishment of mission hubs through strategic research programs as key changes related to investment strategies for government-funded research institutes.
However, Son noted that the autonomy of government-funded research institutes should be ensured in the mission-setting process. Son said, "Even if government and private-sector demand is reflected, each institute has distinct capabilities and characteristics, so institutions need room to plan and carry out their own missions," adding, "Programs are also needed to enable young researchers, such as postdoctoral fellows, to settle stably at government-funded research institutes after their training stage."
Lee Sam-yeol, a public administration professor at Yonsei University, emphasized that to produce results in talent development policy, investments in basic infrastructure such as research space and equipment must accompany it. Lee said, "Many major university campuses are saturated, so sometimes they cannot secure space for large research projects," adding, "If excess tax revenues arise from an economic recovery, they should be invested in infrastructure such as research space, laboratories, and science and technology equipment at research universities."
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to supplement the strategy in July by reflecting on-site opinions and consultations with relevant ministries. It will then finalize it after deliberation and resolution by the Presidential Advisory Council on Science & Technology in Aug., and from Sep. it will reflect the plan in institutional sector mid-term plans, annual investment directions, and expenditure limits.
Park In-gyu, head of the Science and Technology Innovation Center, added, "The mid- to long-term investment strategy is a blueprint for creating new growth engines in preparation for the period after the semiconductor super cycle," and said, "We will continue to communicate with the field after the public hearing and spare no full support."