Local Science and Technology Promotion Council of the Ministry of Science and ICT Held in Hwasun, Jeonnam

First-Ever Meeting Held in Jeonnam Among Local Governments Nationwide
Marine Battery Data Hub Platform Technology Selected

On the 30th, the Local Science and Technology Promotion Council of the Ministry of Science and ICT was held in Hwasun, marking the first nationwide local government meeting. Provided by Jeonnam Province

On April 30, Jeonnam Province announced that the Local Science and Technology Promotion Council of the Ministry of Science and ICT was held in Hwasun, marking the first time such a meeting has taken place in a local government outside the capital. During this meeting, Jeonnam Province’s proposal for the “Marine Battery Data Hub Platform Technology Development” was selected as a budget-linked project for 2026.

The Local Science and Technology Promotion Council, under the National Science and Technology Advisory Council of the Ministry of Science and ICT, held its 7th meeting at the National Immunotherapy Innovation Center in Hwasun on this day. The meeting was attended by Ryu Kwangjun, Head of the Science and Technology Innovation Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT (Chairman), Park Changhwan, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Jeonnam Province, vice governors from various cities and provinces, officials from relevant ministries, and about 20 participants in total.

The Local Science and Technology Promotion Council is a consultative body chaired by the Head of the Science and Technology Innovation Office, with vice governors from 17 cities and provinces, and director-level officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The council serves to coordinate and consult on regional science and technology policies and projects. The Science and Technology Innovation Office, which oversees the council, manages the government’s research and development (R&D) budget of approximately 30 trillion won, playing a key role in enhancing the efficiency and strategic direction of national R&D projects through budget allocation and coordination.

This meeting was the first to be held outside Seoul since the council’s establishment in 2022, serving as a symbolic milestone in realizing the council’s founding purpose of promoting balanced regional development and advancing local science and technology through national R&D.

The significance was heightened by the fact that the meeting was held in Jeonnam, a region with relatively insufficient government R&D investment and a weak science and technology base.

Key agenda items discussed at the meeting included the results and support plans for regional science and technology innovation plans, and the draft results for the selection of budget-linked projects by local governments for 2026.

Notably, the draft results for the selection of budget-linked projects for 2026 included Jeonnam Province’s proposal for the “Marine Battery Data Hub Platform Technology Development (2026-2030, total project cost: 25 billion won).”

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to request a budget for the Marine Battery Data Hub Platform Technology Development project as a new initiative in 2026. Jeonnam Province intends to spread the research outcomes generated by this project to local companies and industries, thereby actively fostering related industries.

Vice Governor Park Changhwan stated, “As competition for technological supremacy in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and quantum technology intensifies, region-led R&D that leverages local potential is essential for the future of both the nation and local communities.” He emphasized, “It is necessary to ensure that the government’s R&D budget, currently concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area and Daejeon, is distributed more evenly across the regions.”

He also actively proposed the inclusion of major R&D project budgets necessary for the development of industries in Jeonnam, such as the second phase of the National Immunotherapy Innovation Center project.

Director Ryu Kwangjun said, “The local governments and the central government will work as a team to jointly design and implement policies and projects tailored to each region, striving to restore regional self-sufficiency through science and technology.”