- The 2nd R&D Special Committee Meeting Held
- Deliberation of △Global R&D Flagship Project Selection, △Plan for Establishment and Operation of Global R&D Strategic Hub Center, and △Global R&D Strategy Map’, etc.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister: Lee Jong-ho, "MSIT") held the second meeting of the Global R&D Special Committee under the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology (PACST) on Thursday, May 30. The Global R&D Special Committee serves as a cross-ministry command center for coordinating global R&D policies and projects, advancing strategies for global R&D, and systematic implementation and management of projects related to global R&D.
Last year, the government announced the Global R&D Promotion Strategy at the plenary council of the PACST (on November 27, 2023). The strategy included plans for improving systems to enhance the strategic nature of global R&D and enable domestic researchers to actively participate in international joint research. To implement this strategy, the Global R&D Special Committee was established, and its first meeting was held on February 27.
At the second meeting, four main agenda items were presented for review and deliberation:
△The status of the 2024 first-half implementation of the Global R&D Promotion Strategy.
△The selection of the first Global R&D Flagship Projects.
△The plan for the establishment and operation of Global R&D Strategy Hub Center.
△ The Global R&D Strategy Map focusing on solar power, wind power, and power grid
These concrete policy directions aim to support global R&D in full swing.
[Agenda 1 (Report): Implementation Status of the Global R&D Promotion Strategy for the First Half of 2024]
The first agenda item is the "Implementation Status of the Global R&D Promotion Strategy for the First Half of 2024," which outlines the progress made by relevant ministries on the 22 specific implementation tasks of the "Global R&D Promotion Strategy" (announced on November 27, 2023) as of May this year. Out of the 22 tasks, 4 have been completed, including:
△ Strengthening the cross-ministry promotion system,
△ Enhancing system overhaul and long-term investment,
△ Relaxing restrictions on participation in global R&D,
△ Preparing a manual for international joint research.
The remaining 18 tasks are also being steadily pursued.
First, the global R&D investment direction has been reorganized around three main points:
① Strengthening top-down investment centered on national strategic technologies,
② Expanding the dissemination of global R&D outcomes,
③ Reinforcing excellence-centered global basic research.
Additionally, the investment scale for 2024 has been increased more than threefold compared to 2023 (from 0.5 trillion KRW to 1.8 trillion KRW).
An international joint research manual has also been published to provide detailed guidance on key aspects of the global R&D process, such as ownership of research outcomes, use of R&D funds, agreements, and evaluations, to be used in the research field when promoting global R&D.
Furthermore, the "National Research and Development Innovation Act" enforcement decree and enforcement rules have been revised to establish the legal basis for the reporting system of foreign benefit information*. This serves as a preparedness measure for research security issues that may become critical during global joint research.
* A system requiring national R&D project leaders to report information about support received from foreign entities to the relevant ministry.
The implementation status of the Global R&D Promotion Strategy follow-up actions will be checked biannually and reported to the Global R&D Special Committee. This will ensure that investments and system improvements to facilitate global R&D are completed in a timely manner.
[Agenda 2 (Deliberation): Selection of the First Global R&D Flagship Projects (Draft)]
The Global R&D Flagship Projects ("Flagship Projects") are part of the strategic investment facilitation plans for global R&D. These are cross-ministry projects that aim to move away from individual and small-scale R&D collaborations by selecting R&D projects that require strategic and concentrated investments, providing intensive support to achieve results, and systematically managing the progress and outcomes.
A total of 21 proposals were submitted through a cross-ministry demand survey conducted in March. Expert groups consisting of policy and technology experts, budget specialists, and other professionals were organized into four subcommittees. Through a written evaluation, 10 proposals were shortlisted and subsequently subjected to face-to-face evaluations. The results of these evaluations were then reviewed and prioritized by a comprehensive review committee, and the final selections were confirmed at the Global R&D Special Committee meeting.
The selection criteria focused on:
△ Policy importance (national interest, technology acquisition, global market leadership, early lead in establishing standards),
△ National representation (being iconic),
△ Prompt commencement possibility (project start time, readiness for cooperation),
△ Clarity of mission and objectives,
△ Completeness of planning.
※ The results of the first Flagship Projects selection will be announced separately (around 16:00 immediately after the meeting).
The selected Flagship Projects will undergo the same budget reviews and preliminary feasibility studies as other R&D projects to finalize detailed contents and budget scales.
Starting with this first selection, the plan is to consider the completeness of planning for global R&D and proceed with the second selection in the second half of the year, aiming to select a total of around 10 Flagship Projects. Projects that were not selected due to incomplete planning but showed promise will be encouraged to improve their completeness and reapply in the second half of the year.
[Agenda 3 (Deliberation): Draft Plan for the Establishment and Operation of Global R&D Strategic Hub Centers]
With the full-scale promotion of global R&D aiming to be the best in the world, a plan has been established to reorganize overseas centers built for R&D cooperation, thereby strengthening support for global R&D through the Draft Plan for the Establishment and Operation of Global R&D Strategic Hub Centers.
Previously, small-scale overseas centers were scattered across ministries and regions. Now, the goal is to ensure that strategic hub centers reach critical scale and create a cooperative system among centers within each region, providing comprehensive support for global R&D. The strategic hub centers will identify strategic cooperation demands and connect suitable partners in the respective countries, thereby facilitating national-level strategic global R&D.
Specifically:
1. Designating Strategic Hub Centers: Existing centers with capabilities and resources will be designated as strategic hub centers. These centers will discover local collaboration demands, connect domestic and international research institutions and researchers, and address researchers' challenges during the global R&D process. They will also perform specialized functions tailored to their regions. For example, the European Strategic Hub Center will support Korean researchers' participation in Horizon Europe and help address carbon neutrality regulations. Funding, visa procurement, and other support will be enhanced to enable these centers to function smoothly.
2. Establishing a Cooperative System Among Centers: A cooperative system will be built among related centers within each region, with the strategic hub center serving as the sole channel of communication that connects the domestic and local centers. Information from each center will be integrated into a centralized database and made accessible to users. Events and exchanges previously hosted by individual centers will be consolidated into major events to increase scale and efficiency. A one-roof platform* will be set up in strategic hub centers to allow affiliated centers to operate under one roof, facilitating constant communication and collaboration.
* A system where related organizations are gathered under one roof to provide one-stop services.
3. Laying the Foundation for Efficient and Stable Operation of Overseas Centers: Legal grounds will be established for designating and supporting strategic hub centers and overseas centers, and guidelines will be provided to standardize key aspects of overseas center operations such as personnel, compensation, director appointments, and organizational management. Additionally, during the implementation of large global R&D projects, cooperation activities and local surveys will be conducted through strategic hub centers to enhance their utility.
Following this direction, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will prepare plans for the efficiency of their overseas centers and the operation of strategic hub centers to ensure that they are swiftly operational to effectively support global R&D. The goal is to secure budgets and begin pilot operations of the strategic hub centers starting in 2025. The MSIT plans to designate strategic hub centers in the Eastern US, Western US, and Western Europe, while MOTIE will designate centers in the Americas and Europe.
[No. 4 (Deliberation) : Global R&D Strategy Map (Draft) - Solar energy, wind power, power grid]
The Global R&D Strategy Map was drafted to facilitate active strategic cooperation with excellent overseas research institutes and businesses through data-based analysis of technology advancement level of different countries. The Global R&D Strategy Map consists of two parts: the "Global Technological Level Map," which analyzes the technology advancement level of each country, and the "Cooperation Strategy Map by Technology Area," which proposes strategies for technology cooperation by country.
Specifically, in the Global Technological Level Map, approximately ten countries with top technological levels were selected based on criteria such as papers (number of papers in the top 10% of citations), patents (number of triad patents), and qualitative evaluation by experts. The "Cooperation Strategy Map by Technology Area" identifies four types of cooperation* based on Korea's technological competitiveness and technology readiness levels, and and presents strategies for each type of cooperation for potential partner countries. In addition to the technology advancement level analyzed in the Global Technological Level Map, the potential partner countries were determined after a comprehensive consideration of the ease and effectiveness of cooperation in the given socio-economic landscape.
* ➀ Market Chaser ➁ Market Leader ➂ New Technology Development ➃ New Technology Diffusion
The special committee deliberated upon the Global R&D Strategy Map for three technology areas of solar energy, wind power, and power grid among the 17 carbon-neutral technologies.
The solar sector was divided into three sub-category technologies: ➀ ultra-high efficiency solar cells, ➁ versatile solar systems, and ➂ recycling and reuse of discarded solar panels. According to the Global Technological Level Map, Korea ranks 4th in ultra-high efficiency solar cells, 4th in versatile solar systems, and 8th in recycling and reuse of discarded solar panels. In the Cooperation Strategy Map by Technology Area, ultra-high efficiency solar cells are categorized under the New Technology Diffusion type, versatile solar systems under the Market Leader type, and recycling and reuse of discarded solar panels were broken down into two categories ― silicon and valuable metal recovery under the New Technology Development type and dismantling and separation technology under the New Technology Diffusion type. It also sets out collaboration strategies such as joint research focused on commercialization and overseas on-site demonstrations abroad with countries like the Netherlands, the United States, and Germany.
The wind power sector was divided into three sub-category technologies: ➀ ultra-large wind turbines, ➁ design, installation, and construction of offshore wind turbines, and ➂ operation and management of offshore wind power systems. According to the Global Technological Level Map, Korea ranks 11th in ultra-large wind turbines, 10th in design, installation, and construction of offshore wind turbines, and 11th in operation and management of offshore wind power systems. In the Cooperation Strategy Map by Technology Area, ultra-large wind turbines are categorized under the Market Chaser type, operation and management of offshore wind power systems under the Market Chaser type, while design, installation, and construction of offshore wind turbines were broken down into two categories ― floating structures and substructures under the Market Leader type and vertical axes under the New Technology Development type. Strategic collaborations for this sector include overseas market commercialization through demonstration collaborations, joint research for securing new technologies, and talent exchanges with Denmark, the U.S., Germany, Norway, and others.
The power grid sector was divided into three sub-category technologies: ➀ smart power transmission and distribution system, ➁ real-time electricity trading platforms, and ➂ integrated operation of decentralized power and flexible resources. According to the Global Technological Level Map, Korea ranks 5th in smart power transmission and distribution system, 7th in real-time electricity trading platforms, and 10th in integrated operation of decentralized power and flexible resources. In the Cooperation Strategy Map, all sub-category technologies are categorized under the Market Leader type. It also sets out collaboration strategies such as joint infrastructure development, and standard cooperation for domestic technology demonstrations and capacity enhancement with the U.S., UK, Germany, Netherlands, and other countries.
Moving forward, the Global R&D Strategy Map will continue to be developed for 12 critical and emerging technologies and 17 carbon-neutral technologies. It will serve as cross-government guidelines for designing and implementing global R&D projects.
Vice Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Ryu Kwang Jun said, "The policies discussed today will lay the groundwork for advancing global R&D. The MSIT will continue supporting researchers through diverse projects and policies to help them produce exceptional results, in line with Korea's aspiration to achieve top-tier global excellence."
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.