Expert Committee of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council, Expanded and Reorganized

Expansion to 11 Specialized Committees and 165 Expert Members

The specialized committees by technology field under the Operations Committee of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council, which advises and reviews the government's research and development policies and investment projects, have been completely reorganized.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it expanded and reorganized the eight specialized committees by technology field under the Operations Committee of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council into eleven, and increased the number of experts from 131 to 165.

Ryu Gwang-jun, Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters, Ministry of Science and ICT. Photo by Yonhap News

The specialized committees under the Operations Committee of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council annually provide advice and review on various agendas and projects related to government research and development policies and investments, including setting directions for government R&D investment, preparing investment strategies by technology field, and reviewing budgets for government R&D projects.

The Ministry of Science and ICT strengthened expertise in each field in response to the deepening technological advancements in artificial intelligence, advanced bio, quantum, and others, and to conduct in-depth reviews of the increasing government R&D project budgets, subdivided the existing 'ICT Convergence Specialized Committee' into the 'Artificial Intelligence and ICT Specialized Committee,' 'Quantum and Semiconductor Specialized Committee,' etc., increasing the number of specialized committees from eight to eleven.

The number of experts was also significantly expanded from 131 to 165. The 165 experts from industry, academia, and research institutes appointed on this day will serve a two-year term until January 2027.

On the same day, the Ministry of Science and ICT also held the 'Workshop for Specialized Committees by Technology Field under the Operations Committee of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council' at EL Tower in Seoul, chaired by Ryu Gwang-jun, Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters.

Ryu Gwang-jun, Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters, said, "Although we face fiercer technological competition than ever in this era of technological hegemony, like DeepSeek, Korea can always lead technological innovation against big tech," and added, "Since this is a time when R&D investment in national strategic fields is more important than anything else for innovation, please demonstrate your expertise to enable selection and concentration where it is needed."