Science and Engineering Research Life Incentive Expanded to 43 Universities... 1.54 Million Won for Master’s, 2.23 Million Won for Doctoral Students

Eight New Universities Selected, 52,000 Students Guaranteed Support
Additional Call for Applications Planned in the Second Half of the Year

The safety net for research life among graduate students in science and engineering fields is set to expand nationwide in earnest. The number of participating universities will increase from 35 to 43, and with the guaranteed standard amount, the average student support grant has risen by approximately 10%.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on March 3 that it has selected eight new universities to participate in the 2026 Science and Engineering Research Life Incentive Program and will begin providing on-site consulting and other support from March.

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The newly selected universities are Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Pukyong National University, Dankook University, Incheon National University, Jeonbuk National University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea Aerospace University, and Hongik University. As a result, the total number of participating universities will expand from 35 to 43, and the number of students guaranteed the standard monthly grant will increase from 47,000 to 52,000.

This program, part of the government’s national agenda to "establish a basic research ecosystem and realize a nation strong in science and technology talent," is a system that links government support to student grants provided through government R&D projects, guaranteeing a minimum monthly standard amount (800,000 won for master’s students, 1.1 million won for doctoral students). It also supports the establishment of an integrated management system for student researcher support information at the university level.

According to an analysis of participating universities (29 institutions in the first half of 2025), the average monthly student grant increased from 1.4 million won to 1.54 million won for master’s programs and from 1.99 million won to 2.23 million won for doctoral programs, representing an approximate 10% increase compared to the previous year.

Through this expansion, all 10 major national universities will now participate, and the inclusion of specialized institutions in fields such as engineering and aerospace has reinforced the support infrastructure for graduate students across diverse disciplines. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to continue expanding the number of participating universities through an additional call for applications in the second half of the year.

Performance management will also be strengthened. The ministry will conduct annual inspections of whether participating universities are guaranteeing the standard amount, and will provide incentives such as additional research and development funding in the following year to approximately the top 25% of outstanding universities. Commendations will also be awarded to individuals with outstanding achievements in program management.

To ensure the successful implementation of the program at newly participating universities, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to provide tailored operational consulting, initial execution monitoring, and ongoing communication support in parallel.

The results of the first half of 2026 selection process have been announced on the Integrated Research Support System (IRIS), and further details can be found on the website of the National Research Foundation of Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.