2025 Research Administration Conference Held
"Expanding to Full-Cycle Management of Planning, Evaluation, and Administration"
The government has initiated discussions to transform research administration from a simple function of research fund execution and settlement into a core management system encompassing the entire research and development (R&D) cycle. With the R&D budget expanding to an all-time high, the consensus is that without innovation in research administration, securing global competitiveness will be difficult.
On December 17, the Ministry of Science and ICT held the "2025 Research Administration Conference" at the ICC Hotel in Daejeon under the theme "Evolving Research Administration: Innovation for Advanced R&D." The event was attended by more than 500 participants, including university and government-funded research institute researchers, research administrators, and government officials.
During the conference, there was broad agreement that the role of research administration should not be limited to supporting research fund execution and performance management, but should be expanded to the concept of "R&D management" encompassing the entire process of R&D planning, evaluation, and management. The Ministry of Science and ICT identified the establishment of research strategies and planning, budget execution, compliance with research ethics and regulations, performance management and dissemination, and the development of research environments and systems as key components for advancing R&D.
Presentations from the private sector and academia followed. Kim Pilseok, Chief Technology Officer of SK Innovation, introduced the research administration practices of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) under the U.S. Department of Energy. Kim Jihyun, professor at Yonsei University, discussed the limitations of research support systems experienced by researchers in the field and suggested directions for improvement. Kim Sungyeop, professor at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), shared advanced R&D management cases from research sites, while Park Jinseop, Director of Strategic Planning at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, presented models for operating planning professionals and strengthening project planning and evaluation capabilities.
In the subsequent expert panel discussion, both researchers and research administrators participated to share their perspectives on the importance of R&D planning, evaluation, and management, and to discuss practical directions for improvement based on field experience.
Meanwhile, to further specify the direction of research administration support policies, the Ministry of Science and ICT has been holding a series of "relay meetings" since December, inviting experts from various fields such as R&D planning, performance and evaluation, research management, and performance dissemination. Within the ministry, "lunchbox meetings" (brownbag meetings) are also being held during lunchtime to enhance policy expertise. The outcomes of these discussions will be reflected in future system improvements and policy formulation.
Koo Hyukchae, First Vice Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "With the government R&D budget set to reach a record high in 2026, innovation in research administration is not a choice but a necessity." He emphasized, "In response to the rapidly changing research environment, including the spread of AI, we must shift to a data-driven R&D management system characterized by expertise and transparency."
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