Ministry of Science and ICT Approves 2022 National R&D Investment Direction and Standards on the 11th
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government has decided to prioritize next year’s research and development (R&D) budget for overcoming infectious disease crises and strengthening competitiveness in materials, parts, and equipment.
On the 11th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held the 27th National Science and Technology Advisory Council’s Steering Committee meeting to review and approve the 2022 National R&D Investment Direction and Criteria (draft).
The government will first prioritize technology development for COVID-19 response and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, aligned with the national policy directions of ‘Recovery,’ ‘Leap,’ and ‘Inclusion.’ It will also maintain an expansionary investment stance in areas where continuous government investment is crucial, such as researcher-centered basic research, talent cultivation, and strengthening the capabilities of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and local regions. To enhance R&D investment outcomes and effectiveness, the government plans to focus on strengthening the division of roles between the public and private sectors and linking R&D investment with policy.
Specifically, to overcome infectious disease crises, the government will simultaneously promote short- and long-term enhancement of technological capabilities in preparation for periodic outbreaks of new and mutated infectious diseases. It will focus on supporting next-generation innovative technologies such as mRNA vaccines and linking and cooperating with field demands to resolve urgent issues in quarantine sites.
To strengthen competitiveness in materials, parts, and equipment and create future supply chains, the government will steadily support technology development for 185 core items currently receiving support, and reinforce breakthrough and leading-edge R&D centered on future-leading items (70) and long-term innovative material source technology development.
To promote economic recovery and vitality, the government will focus on supporting the digital economic transition based on the three core innovative industries and D.N.A (Digital, Network, Artificial Intelligence). It will secure next-generation core technologies and strengthen support for talent development and industrial ecosystem revitalization through concentrated nurturing of the three core innovative industries: biohealth, future cars, and system semiconductors. To accelerate the digital economic transition based on D.N.A, the government will support leading R&D on next-generation D.N.A core technologies and industrial ecosystem revitalization through technology convergence and diffusion, while strengthening K-cybersecurity technologies for safe and reliable digital transformation.
Efforts will also be made to revitalize the non-face-to-face economy centered on immersive content and innovative services, and to support SOC digitalization to improve the efficiency and safety of public infrastructure.
To leap forward as a leading nation through opportunity creation, the government will focus on accelerating the transition to a carbon-neutral society by 2050 and supporting future core technologies. To accelerate the transition to a 2050 carbon-neutral society, it will promote energy transition centered on renewable energy such as solar and wind power, and establish a circular ecosystem based on low-carbon and energy efficiency technologies including ICT-based demand management and CCUS technologies.
The government has also set a goal to improve science-based monitoring and forecasting of climate change and strengthen citizens’ climate adaptability through technological innovation in areas closely related to daily life, such as water management.
Regarding future core technologies with high demand and significant socio-economic impact, the government will focus on R&D for core technologies related to quantum computers, quantum sensors, and communications that will lead paradigm shifts in future industry and security, as well as technology development for future mobility innovations such as flying cars and integrated brain function research in the brain research field.
To strengthen future innovation capabilities based on inclusion, the government will also focus on supporting creative and challenging basic and foundational research, talent cultivation, and strengthening the capabilities of regions and SMEs. To activate creative and challenging basic and foundational research, autonomous basic research will be continuously expanded according to national task investment goals, and the strategic nature of basic research will be strengthened through support systems tailored to academic fields. The government plans to expand the basic research project budget from about 2.35 trillion won this year to around 2.52 trillion won next year, which is double the 1.26 trillion won in 2017.
The government will support ‘innovative challenge-type research,’ which conducts mission-oriented research centered on private experts in related space technologies such as satellite services for public safety and Korean launch vehicles.
To nurture science and technology talent preparing for the era of great transformation, the government will focus on cultivating core science and technology talent in national strategic fields and new industries such as carbon neutrality and D.N.A. It plans to strengthen comprehensive growth support for future science and technology talent who will lead society, including youth, women, and academic successors, as well as strategic support for attracting key overseas talent.
To strengthen the capabilities of regions and SMEs and create a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem, the government will reinforce regional industrial and innovation ecosystems such as R&D special zones and regionally specialized industries, and increase the linkage between regional New Deal projects, regional infrastructure, and R&D investment.
The government will discover promising small and venture companies in major policy fields and support companies with growth potential to challenge innovative R&D. To activate startup and technology commercialization based on research outcomes, it will promote technology startups based on industry-academia-research institute research outcomes in policy and new industry fields such as the Korean New Deal, BIG3, and D.N.A, and support startup growth at each stage. It will expand follow-up research support such as testing and certification for excellent original research outcomes and strengthen package-type commercialization R&D that links and supports early commercialization.
To enhance the performance and investment effectiveness of the expanded R&D budget, the government will also advance the investment system. It will promote public-private collaboration throughout the entire government R&D cycle so that government seed investments are based on private demand, and strengthen pre-planning and integrated management to activate inter-ministerial collaboration. Based on cooperation between ministries, the government will strengthen cross-ministerial relay projects that link excellent research outcomes to commercialization and innovation procurement-linked R&D projects where the government acts as a purchaser of excellent research outcomes. A comprehensive project management system (PM) will be introduced to systematically manage large-scale research facility construction projects, and performance management will be conducted through specific evaluations for the significantly increased budget in the materials, parts, and equipment sector.
The government plans to use these investment directions as guidelines for the allocation and adjustment of next year’s R&D budgets for 22 ministries, agencies, and offices related to R&D, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
