A blueprint for national R&D called “Mission-Centric Strategic Roadmap” has been established to secure super-gap in Critical and Emerging Technologies
- The Third Special Committee on the Critical and Emerging Technologies (CETs) under the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology convened
- National missions, investment, and policy directions outlined for 3 fields and 16 key technologies where a fierce race for technological supremacy is taking place
On August 29th at 1:30 PM, in the conference room of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, the Ministry of Science and ICT (“MSIT”, Minister: Lee Jong-ho) held the third meeting of the Special Committee on the Critical and Emerging Technologies to deliberate and approve the Critical and Emerging Technology Mission-Centric Roadmap (Ⅰ)
- Technological Supremacy Competition Areas in the fields of secondary batteries, semiconductors, displays, and advanced mobility.
The Special Committee was established in April as a public-private joint committee under the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, in which top experts from industry, academia, and research institutes oversee and coordinate key pan-government policies on nurturing the 12 CETs selected to respond to the global race for technological supremacy and to prepare for S&T policies coming into the sphere of security.
[Overview of the CETs]
◇ (Concept) Technologies strategically important from the perspectives of national economy, diplomacy, security, and the creation of new industries.
◇ (Fields) 12 fields in total, including semiconductors, displays, secondary batteries, advanced mobility, next-generation nuclear energy, advanced biotechnology, aerospace and marine, hydrogen, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, next-generation communications, advanced robotics and manufacturing, and quantum technologies. |
| ■ CET Promotion Policies in Full Swing |
Recently, the government has been intensifying its focused investments in the CETs to establish technological sovereignty and secure world-class capabilities. Through the allocation and adjustment of research and development budgets for 2024, the government has expanded investment in the CETs to KRW 5 trillion, a 6.3% increase from 2023 (KRW 4.7 trillion). In particular, investments in key industries such as secondary batteries (19.7% increase) and semiconductors (5.5% increase) have been strengthened to maintain industrial competitiveness. Furthermore, investments in next-generation original technologies such as solid-state batteries and AI semiconductors, which will reshape the future landscape, have been increased.
In April, the Critical and Emerging Technologies Project was set in motion, which is a large-scale cross-government R&D initiative aimed at achieving national missions that were selected at the first meeting of the Special Committee on the Critical and Emerging Technologies. The Next-Generation Network (6G) Industrial Technology Development Project (by MSIT) passed the preliminary feasibility study with a budget of KRW 440.7 billion over five years. Additionally, the Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Safety Operation System Core Technology Development Project (by MOLIT & KMA) received expedited approval (shortened timeline from over 7 months to 4.5 months) due to its urgency. Other projects, such as next-generation secondary battery development, lunar exploration, and quantum flagship initiatives, have been selected for preliminary feasibility study and are undergoing evaluations.
* K-UAM : Total project budget of KRW 100.7 billion over 3 years (2024-2026)
In addition to these efforts, the government is pushing for the establishment of the Strategic Roadmap as a policy task*. The Strategic Roadmap is a follow-up measure to the Critical and Emerging Technologies Nurture Plan that was created as a resolution of the first general meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology presided by President Yoon, and goes in line with the enactment of the Special Act on the Fostering of Critical and Emerging Technologies in September. The goal of the Roadmap is to identify clear priorities for pan-government policies on R&D of strategic technologies, and secure strategic advantages.
* (Policy task no.75) Achieve the status of a G5 nation in science and technology by securing super gap in the CETs.
| ■ Key Points in Establishing the Strategic Roadmap |
[Direction for Establishing the Mission-Centric Strategic Roadmap]
| Analyze the competitiveness of key echnologies |
⇨ |
Identify National Mission |
⇨ |
Identify target for tech development |
⇨ |
Flesh out details for mission strategy |
| Identify specific goals for 2023 |
Mission accomplishment, technological and security implications to be considered when setting priorities |
R&D Investment Milestone + Int’l Cooperation, Securing talent, Improving institutions |
➊ Unlike the previous technology-securing strategies that focused on quantity, the Strategic Roadmap aims to identify essential technologies that are crucial for securing technological sovereignty in the era of global technology competition. Based on economic and security perspectives analysis, visible missions that must be accomplished by 2030 were identified for key technologies. Upon this, a top-down approach was applied to identify “stepping stone technologies” for the accomplishment of the mission.
➋ In particular, the Strategic Roadmap is the country’s top-level technology strategy, developed through the collaboration of the technology-specific coordinating committees under the Special Committee, where experts from industry, academia, and research participate, along with the MSIT’s Science, Technology and Innovation Office, which oversees and coordinates national science and technology policies. The two bodies together conducted a precise analysis of existing strategies by each ministry from a national mission perspective to present strategic quantitative goals that consider the national necessity and feasibility.
➌ The Strategic Roadmap not only provides directions for focused investments to achieve missions and secure key technologies but also outlines strategies for fostering an enabling environment for the CETs through talent development, international cooperation, and institutional improvements. The government plans to actively utilize the Roadmap as a compass throughout the entire research and development policy, investment, and evaluation process to achieve the identified missions and goals.
| ■ Key Contents of Roadmap by Sector |
1. Secondary Batteries: Maximizing the theoretical limits of lithium-ion battery performance & securing next-generation technologies with super performance, safety, and mineral independence.
[Deriving Mission and Goals Based on Key Issues in the Secondary Battery Field]
For secondary batteries, the urgent task is to enhance environmental friendliness and secure a stable supply chain in preparation for stricter regulations in the United States and the European Union, while simultaneously improving performance and price competitiveness to respond to China's growing market share. Therefore, with the goal of maintaining Korea’s status as a powerhouse in secondary battery technology, specific objectives have been set for four key technology areas: ▲ Lithium-ion battery cells and materials, ▲ Next-generation secondary batteries, ▲ Secondary battery modules and systems, ▲ Reuse and recycling of batteries.
To foster the secondary battery ecosystem, proposed measures include ▲ Package support for securing global minerals through the development of critical mineral sourcing map, ▲ Enhancement of used battery management through collaboration with automotive companies, ▲ Strengthening open innovation, including material and component verification by suppliers in the supply chain.
2-1. Semiconductors: Focus on Low Power and High Efficiency in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
[Deriving Missions and Goals Based on Key Issues in the Semiconductor Field]
Given the increasing technical difficulty of ultrafine processes and to maintain the position of a semiconductor powerhouse within the international supply chain, minimizing power consumption is expected to be a critical task in preparation for the widespread adoption of hyper-scale AI. Consequently, with the goal of "Maintaining Top Position in Memory & Securing a New Lead in AI Semiconductors," a roadmap has been established focusing on 6 key technology areas: ▲ High-density and resistance-based memory, ▲ High-performance and low-power AI semiconductors, ▲ Advanced packaging, ▲ Power semiconductors, ▲ High-performance sensors, ▲ Materials, components, and equipment.
The measures for fostering an ecosystem include: ▲ attract interdisciplinary talent from the undergraduate level to nurture high-level workforce that can be immediately put into design and increase support for graduate schools specializing in flagship technologies, ▲ strengthen joint research and exchange with global research institutes and key manufacturers of materials, components and equipment ▲ establish critical infrastructure (e.g. electricity, water) and build research hubs.
2-2. Display: Reclaim #1 Global Competitiveness by Gaining the Upper Hand in the Next-generation Market
[Mission & Goals of Priority Issues in Display]
In the field of display, China has been chasing after Korea with low-cost products such as LCD but its market share in OLED—Korea’s flagship product—is also growing, which requires Korea to widen the performance gap in order to maintain Korea’s competitiveness. Korea has set the goal of reclaiming the world’s best competitiveness, with three priority areas: ▲ iLED, ▲ free form, and ▲ materials, components and equipment.
* OLED market share: (2019) Korea 89.4%, China 9.7% → (2022) Korea 81.3%, China 17.9%
In order to foster an enabling ecosystem, the following measures have been suggested: ▲ Nurture high-level talent tailored to industry demand through employment-guaranteed special contract departments and supporting basic/strategic research at universities, and ▲ Facilitate private-sector R&D in emerging and applied technologies and leading international standardization.
3. Advanced Mobility: Lead the Standardization/Validation of high-performance AI and Security/Safety to Roll Out Fully Autonomous Cars in 2027
[Mission & Goals of Priority Issues in Advanced Mobility]
The race for technology development is getting fiercer, as demonstrated by Korea’s declaration of making a transition to Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) and the US Federal Aviation Administration’s issuance of a Special Airworthiness Certificate to an urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft. The competition in economic security centered around regulations, such as the Inflation Reduction Act and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, is also intense especially in the field of advanced mobility. In advanced mobility, the analysis was conducted with a focus on three priorities: ▲ autonomous driving system, ▲ urban air mobility (UAM), and ▲ electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen vehicles.
In order to foster an enabling ecosystem, the following measures have been suggested: ▲ To prepare for the full deployment of autonomous driving and commercial roll out of UAM, establish a training system for software talent and pilots, and ▲ Support proactive regulatory improvement and demonstration activities.
* (Autonomous Driving) Regulatory improvements, such as safety standards, insurance/driving system, pilot driving areas
(Urban Air Mobility) Proactive measures, such as safety guidelines, operator requirements, distribution of traffic rights
(Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Vehicles) Increase the number of charging stations in residential areas and travel spots and improve the charging quality and safety
The Special Committee on the CETs had a closed-door discussion on the “Strategy to Secure Critical and Emerging Technologies (CETs) Talent Through R&D,” which is aimed at securing top talent that will determine the success of the CETs and building qualitative capacity. This agenda item will go through deliberation by the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology (PACST) before the final confirmation.
Vice Minister Joo Young Chang for Science, Technology and Innovation (also a Member of the Special Committee) said, “The main direction of fostering CETs is supporting mission-oriented, strategic R&D and nurturing world-class talent. This meeting has set off the development of detailed strategies to foster CETs. Including the roll out of the Special Act on the Fostering of Critical and Emerging Technologies in September, the Science, Technology and Innovation Office of the MSIT will actively work on developing and implementing innovative science and technology policies to ensure Korea’s technological autonomy.
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (E-mail: msitpress@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.