- Three-month competition to conduct AI-assisted scientific research and develop AI agents
- Up to 16 teams to be awarded, with national R&D commercialization support of up to KRW 2.5 billion
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyunghoon) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (President Hong Won-hwa) announced the launch of the 2026 AI Co-Scientist Challenge Korea (hereinafter referred to as the “Challenge”) and opened applications starting December 10.
This Challenge marks Korea’s first experimental initiative to explore effective ways of integrating AI into scientific research, while examining both the potential and limitations of AI as a research collaborator. The event is sponsored by the Korea Science AI Forum, AiFrenz, LG AI Research, NHN Cloud, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).
The Challenge consists of two tracks. Track 1 focuses on conducting scientific research using AI. Participants will conduct research on designated or self-selected topics and submit their findings in the form of academic papers. Track 2 centers on the development of AI agents for scientific research innovation. Ten teams selected through a preliminary proposal review will receive development support of up to KRW 30 million per team, covering costs such as GPU, LLM, and API usage. Participating teams will use the provided resources to develop AI agents and submit the outcomes together with technical development reports.
The Challenge will be held as an international competition open to companies, researchers, and students from Korea and abroad. Applications for Track 1 will be accepted from December 10, 2025, to January 31, 2026, while proposals for Track 2 will be accepted from December 10, 2025, to January 2, 2026, via the official website (https://aifactory.space/page/ask2026). The final award ceremony and conference are scheduled to take place in April 2026.
Outstanding teams will receive awards, including the Ministerial Award presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, as well as awards from the heads of the organizing and sponsoring institutions. In particular, the grand prize team in Track 2 will receive follow-up support linked to MSIT’s 2026 national R&D commercialization programs*, based on the outcomes of the Challenge.
*The follow-up programs include Support for Deep Science Startup Activation (up to KRW 500 million per year for companies over a period of 3+2 years) and Demonstration Projects for Public Research Outcomes (up to KRW 500 million per year for researchers for up to two years). Details and levels of support may vary depending on eligibility requirements and project conditions.
To promote the Challenge, a pre-event briefing session will be held at Lee-Sam-Bong Hall, Ewha Campus Complex (ECC), Ewha Womans University, at 10:00 a.m. on December 10. The session will also be livestreamed on YouTube and feature lectures on effective AI-based research reporting strategies and research ethics in AI-assisted scientific research. Anyone interested in science and technology or AI may attend, regardless of whether they plan to participate in the Challenge.
Kim Seong-soo, Director General for R&D Policy at MSIT, stated, “We expect this Challenge to serve as a turning point in exploring AI’s potential as a research collaborator and to foster broader collaboration between scientific researchers and AI.”
Further details on the Challenge and the official announcement are available on the websites of the Ministry of Science and ICT (www.msit.go.kr), the National Research Foundation of Korea (www.nrf.re.kr), and the official Challenge website (https://aifactory.space/page/ask2026).
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.