The Audit Board conducted a large-scale audit of national research and development (R&D) projects over the past two years, but its recommendations were limited to the basic suggestion of "improving efficiency." This audit was related to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's public criticism of the "R&D cartel" in June 2023.
On April 30, the Audit Board released the results of its audit titled "Analysis of the Implementation Status of Major National Research and Development Projects." This audit was conducted from June 28, 2023, to March 29, 2024, targeting ten institutions, including the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation.
On June 28, 2023, the day the audit began, former President Yoon Suk-yeol referred to national R&D projects as a "cartel" during the National Fiscal Strategy Meeting, stating that "R&D projects characterized by collusion and division of interests need to be reviewed from scratch." Subsequently, the Yoon administration drastically reduced the national R&D budget, sparking social controversy.
The Audit Board stated that it ensured expertise and objectivity in this audit through expert consultations, commissioned studies, surveys, and interviews. In addition to traditional audit methods, it incorporated scientific analysis methods such as big data and AI-based tools, including ChatGPT. However, it added, "Given the broad scope of R&D fields, there are limitations to the uniform application of the analysis results."
The Audit Board announced, "Over the past ten years, the core outcomes of national R&D projects have been insufficient due to low target levels and formalistic evaluations compared to the scale of national R&D investment."
Regarding directions for improvement, the Audit Board stated, "From the planning and selection stages, target levels such as technological maturity should be reflected in investment planning and project selection, and the participation of private-sector experts should be expanded to strengthen strategic linkages." It also pointed out, "Through accountable management of targets, the efficiency of national R&D investments must be improved." The Board further added, "Evaluations should be simplified to focus on the achievement of core targets, and as target levels increase, it is necessary to improve the system to encourage and reward failures that inevitably occur."
The Audit Board announced that it had notified the Minister of Science and ICT, who oversees the establishment and implementation of national R&D project policies, to use the empirical analysis results?which comprehensively analyze national R&D outcomes?and the identified factors hindering innovation and challenge at each stage, as well as directions for improvement, as reference materials for policy-making and management in order to strengthen innovation and challenge in future national R&D projects and to promote greater investment efficiency.
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