Gov't to inject 100 billion won into science and technology research

President Yoon Suk Yeol gives an address at the commencement ceremony of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon on Friday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The government will soon announce a massive subsidy program to support science and technology research in the country, including measures to give more latitude to state-funded institutes, sources close to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration told the JoongAng Ilbo.

According to the members of the presidential office on Thursday, Yoon will announce a plan to launch a global strategic research program and invest 100 billion won ($75 million). Under the planned vision for science advancement, research projects expected to produce world-class accomplishments will receive an unlimited share of the 100-billion-won budget.

The government made a massive cut in the research and development budget for this year, allocating 26.5 trillion won, down by 16.6 percent from that of 2023. That decision largely drew criticism from the science and technology industry, and Yoon has promised to increase the investment starting next year.

"Yoon will newly create a top global strategy research team and invest massive funds into promising research," said a high-ranking official informed about the program. The intention is to change the existing government program under which subsidies are rather evenly distributed among state-invested research institutes under rigid regulations. Instead, promising research projects will be selected and subsidies will be concentrated on them.

Yoon will also take a step to deregulate government-funded research institutes by excluding them from the list of public institutions governed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which maintained rigid regulations on salaries and headcounts.

This measure will free up the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) and its 25 institutes after 16 years since their designation as public institutions in 2008. "It will give freedom to the state-funded institutes to recruit talented people and decide salaries," said the source. "They will also have more latitude in deciding headcounts."

State-funded research institutes have complained about losing valuable researchers due to an unfavorable work environment. According to an NST report to Democratic Party Rep. Min Hyung-bae, 720 researchers have left the 25 institutes under the NST from 2020 to June of last year. Over 50 percent headed to academia while 11.4 percent went to work in the private sector. Min has said the government needed to come up with a plan to keep the researchers at the state institutes.

Under Yoon's new science vision, the presidential scholarship program, which has only been given to undergraduate students in science and engineering fields, will be expanded to graduate students, sources said. Recipients will undergo an evaluation every year during their scholarship periods. Those in the doctoral programs will receive 2 million won per month for up to eight semesters; those in master programs will receive 1.5 million won per month for up to four semesters.

"We are also considering a plan to build a special science cluster and lift development restrictions in the surrounding area to boost corporate investments," the source said.

Yoon has recently made a series of efforts to advance the country's research and development fields. He created a new senior secretary post for science and technology and named Park Sang-ook, associate professor of science policy at Seoul National University, to the job on Jan. 25.

Under Park's supervision, the presidential office will have four new secretaries dedicated to research and development reform, digital technology, biomedical technology and future strategy.

BY HYUN IL-HOON, SER MYO-JA [enational@joongang.co.kr]