Government to Establish Innovation Plan in September to Enhance Quality and Efficiency of R&D Investment

Researchers and the Public Invited to Share Opinions
Private Sector-Led R&D Ecosystem Initiative Accelerates

The government plans to establish a so-called "Research and Development (R&D) Ecosystem Innovation Plan" by September, aiming to both expand R&D investment and enhance the efficiency of such investments.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced this plan at the "On-site Meeting for R&D Innovation" held on the 16th at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Daejeon.

Science and ICT Minister nominee Hoon Bae is answering questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee plenary session on the 14th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that it will develop the R&D Ecosystem Innovation Plan by September, and will actively listen to and reflect the diverse opinions from the research field in order to expand R&D investment and simultaneously improve the quality and efficiency of investments.

Although various R&D innovation measures have been introduced multiple times, criticism from the research field continues. In particular, issues that have been consistently pointed out include R&D planning and management from a government-led, supplier-oriented perspective; excessive administrative burdens under the pretext of preventing misconduct; and unpredictable and unstable project-based financial support.

The Ministry of Science and ICT explained that, for this innovation plan, the private sector will take the lead and communicate directly with the field throughout the entire process?from identifying problems and diagnosing causes to developing solutions.

To achieve this, the ministry will regularly visit various research sites across different regions, listen to voices from each region and field in a balanced manner, form a private advisory group (tentatively named the Real R&D Promotion Committee) composed of diverse experts from industry, academia, and research institutes, and also collect opinions from researchers and the general public online.

Science and ICT Minister Baekyunghoon said, "We plan to listen to voices from the field through various means and prepare practical measures that can be truly felt by those working in research."