The R&D budget, which was significantly reduced this year, is expected to be restored in 2025, providing some breathing room for research institutes.

The National Science and Technology Advisory Council held the 9th Deliberation Meeting of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council on the 27th, chaired by Vice Chairman Lee Woo-il.

In this meeting, △the 2025 National Research and Development Project Budget Allocation and Adjustment Plan was deliberated and decided, and △the Promotion Plan for 'Activating the R&D Ecosystem Dynamism and Knowledge Mobility' of Science and Technology-funded Research Institutes, which was decided at the Steering Committee on June 26, was discussed as a report agenda item.

First, according to the 2025 National Research and Development Project Budget Allocation and Adjustment Plan, the major R&D budget for 2025 has been allocated to approximately KRW 24.8 trillion, a significant increase from this year. This is the amount that includes the 24.5 trillion won reviewed by the end of June and the amount that will be adjusted and reflected through reorganization until the government plan is completed.

Since last year, the government has been promoting investment system reforms, including the abolition of the R&D preliminary feasibility study system, establishment of an innovative and challenging R&D support system, deregulation of public research institutes, and improvement of the global R&D system, under the major policy direction of transforming the organization into a leading R&D organization.

Key R&D investments in 2025 will focus on reorganizing the investment portfolio for leading R&D based on these system reforms.

In addition, to this end, we plan to actively expand strategic investment in leading R&D, such as innovative challenge-type R&D that takes on the challenge of being the first and the best, game-changing technologies that will drive national innovation, and global top-level joint research.

The major R&D investment areas for 2025 will focus on investing approximately KRW 3.5 trillion in three game-changing areas that will lead national innovation: AI-semiconductors, advanced bio, and quantum technology.

In addition, we will invest approximately KRW 1 trillion in innovative and challenging R&D, which is high-risk, high-reward research that can create transformational innovations even if there is a risk of failure.

Approximately 2.94 trillion won, the largest amount ever, will be provided for basic research.

This figure is a comprehensive calculation that takes into account the convenience, strategy, and stability of the basic research ecosystem. Approximately 2.4 trillion won will be invested in cutting-edge technology fields in which Korea is leading, such as secondary batteries, displays, semiconductors, and next-generation communications, to ensure that they have unrivaled competitiveness.

The aerospace industry, which will open the 1 trillion won era for the first time in 2025, will strengthen investment in securing core capabilities for space exploration and next-generation launch vehicles, centered around the Aerospace Administration that opened last May. In addition, we plan to focus our investments on next-generation nuclear reactors, carbon-free energy, process innovation in key industries, and global carbon regulation response to meet future energy demands and strengthen energy security.

Lastly, we will expand investment in science and technology for a safe Republic of Korea, investing approximately KRW 3.1 trillion in the defense sector and approximately KRW 2 trillion in disaster safety R&D.

In relation to the plan to promote ‘R&D ecosystem dynamism and knowledge fluidity activation’ of government-funded research institutes in the science and technology sector, with the designation of government-funded research institutes (hereinafter referred to as research institutes) in the science and technology sector as public institutions lifted at the end of January, we will promote measures to realize an autonomous and responsible management system and institutional improvements so that they can flexibly respond to rapid and wide-ranging changes in the technological environment and be reborn as world-class research institutes.

First, in order to enhance the research capacity of the research institutes, the autonomy of the institution's operation will be dramatically increased to a level that has not been recognized until now. By operating its own garden under minimum requirements and simplifying the hiring process for temporary employees, it will be possible to quickly fill the necessary manpower. In addition, the personnel expense execution plan (execution personnel expenses) that was not changed when set at the beginning of the year can be increased or adjusted through a resolution by the board of directors, and the personnel expense resources that can be utilized by the participating research institutes will be expanded through measures such as allowing personnel expense execution of technology fee income.

We will create a system that allows for special non-competitive hiring and provides exceptional treatment to key talents such as scholars.

Secondly, through the introduction of joint entry cards, removal of border walls, establishment of a knowledge portal (tentative name) for integrated research institutes, and support for regular meetings of researchers, members of research institutes will be able to freely exchange and cooperate regardless of their affiliated institutions.

Thirdly, as a representative brand that informs the public of the role of the research institute based on autonomy, we will introduce the National Science & Technology Lab (NSTL), an open cooperative system centered on national missions. First, we plan to designate the cooperative system selected in this year's 'Global TOP Strategic Research Group Support Project' as NSTL.

In addition, as a device for responsible management corresponding to the groundbreaking expansion of autonomy and as a rudder that suggests the path that the research institute should take, the current segmented system of conducting separate evaluations of the head of the institute and evaluations of research projects will be unified into a single system of integrated inspections every two years starting in 2026. Whether the institute is conducting long-term and difficult research, as well as internal and external cooperation, in line with its mission, will be qualitatively inspected through peer reviews by scholars.

The excellent inspection institutions will postpone the next inspection and automatically collect the disclosed performances, etc., and build an efficient and simplified system. Detailed inspection indicators, etc. will be prepared within the year after careful review by related experts and collecting opinions from the research field. As an organization supported by national finances, we aim to secure public trust through transparent and ethical management.

Lastly, we will improve the functions of the National Research Council of Science and Technology and reorganize the system to focus on supporting and fostering research institutes so that they can support an autonomous and responsible management system.

Vice Chairman Lee Woo-il of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council, who chaired the deliberation meeting that day, said, “Institutional improvement and R&D investment system innovation in order to be reborn as a leading R&D are the directions we must take,” and asked, “In the midst of unprecedented rapid technological changes, we must invest in national strategic fields that must compete with the world, as well as increase the basic research budget by 11.6% from last year to KRW 2.94 trillion, thereby expanding the foundation of the research ecosystem where researchers can freely take on challenges.”