[Insight & Opinion] Building National R&D Projects That Earn Public Trust

The government has announced plans to allocate a record-high national research and development budget of 35.3 trillion won for next year. This represents a staggering 19.3% increase compared to this year. Such a significant increase, more than double the total budget growth rate of 8%, is highly unusual. The government attributes this to its firm national policy philosophy of making focused investments to secure future growth engines.

Investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and renewable energy, which the new administration has emphasized as top priorities, will increase significantly. In particular, the budget for AI will more than double to 2.3 trillion won, and 2.6 trillion won will be invested in the energy "transition" centered on renewable energy. Now, the "AI highway" and "energy highway" have become the new goals of science and technology.

Investment in basic research, which suffered the most severe setbacks due to illegal and irregular budget cuts by the previous administration, will also increase by 14.6% to 3.4 trillion won compared to this year. The government will revive the "grassroots basic research grants," which were abolished by the previous administration but only recently revealed, and restore the number of basic research projects to pre-cut levels. Efforts to nurture science and engineering talent to prevent brain drain and the concentration of students in medical schools will be strengthened, with 200 billion won allocated to attract overseas talent.

The government’s active interest in national research and development projects is welcome. However, once bitten, twice shy. This is how scientists feel after suddenly being labeled as part of a "cartel." The feeble excuses of bureaucrats, who insisted they had improved inefficiency despite cutting the budget by 16.6%, still linger in our ears. Sometimes, the sister-in-law who tries to stop the beating is more resented than the mother-in-law who does the beating.

The full details of the cartel controversy and subsequent budget cuts must be thoroughly revealed. In particular, the "global international cooperation projects" that the previous administration hastily pushed through must be swiftly sorted out. International cooperation led by bureaucrats who recklessly pour out our funds is meaningless. While advocating for advanced, creative research and development on the surface, demanding that we "internalize" the research practices of advanced countries behind the scenes is regressive. What we truly need are international cooperation projects that attract foreign scientists to our research sites.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has a critical role to play. The key is to firmly block political populism from influencing national research and development projects. While AI is undoubtedly a major trend, we must not fall into the illusion that AI is the entirety of science and technology. Highways are important, but we must never give up on national and local roads. The fantasy of turning every road into a highway must be abandoned once and for all.

It is also important to create systems and environments that allow scientists to immerse themselves in the research they do best. Outdated bureaucratic practices, such as copying unfamiliar systems from advanced countries and forcing creative research on scientists in the field, must be eliminated. Gradually abolishing the project-based system (PBS), which was copied from advanced countries 30 years ago, could be the starting point.

The proactive efforts of the scientific community are also crucial. Scientists trusted by the public are needed. Strict adherence to research ethics is the starting point. Research results from scientists who are not ethically trustworthy are useless. Efforts to eradicate absurd "rumors" and "fake science" that numb the public’s reason must not be neglected.

Lee Deokhwan (Professor Emeritus, Sogang University, Chemistry and Science Communication)