N-LAB, N-Facility, N-TEAM Designation
Follow-up measures for the R&D investment strategy and countermeasures for materials, parts, and equipment
National Research Council to proceed starting from 2nd designation


On the 11th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held a designation ceremony for the National Research Infrastructure, 3N (N-LAB, N-Facility, N-TEAM), which designates national research laboratories and national research facilities, at the Materials Research Institute affiliated with the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The event was attended by Minister of Science and ICT Choi Ki-young, research leaders from national laboratories and facilities, and officials from the Korea Institute of Materials Science and the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute. The event proceeded in the order of awarding designation certificates, announcing operation plans for national research laboratories and facilities, and unveiling plaques. This time, 12 national research laboratories and 6 national research facilities were designated as pilot projects.

The national research laboratory and national research facility have been named 'N-LAB (National Laboratory)' and 'N-Facility (National Facility),' respectively, and the government plans to manage them under the 3N policy along with the national research council and 'N-TEAM (National Team)' to be promoted in the future.

The 3N designation, which is being pursued as a follow-up measure to the 'Investment Strategy for Research and Development and Innovation Measures for Materials, Parts, and Equipment' announced on August 28, aims to consolidate the capabilities of representative laboratories and facilities in the materials, parts, and equipment sector at the national level, thereby ensuring stable research on key items and rapid response in emergency situations.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to designate the 3N companies in three rounds, For this first round of designations, N-LABs were targeted at laboratories affiliated with government-funded research institutes capable of immediate operation, and N-Facilitys were targeted at nanofab facilities capable of providing emergency process support in the semiconductor and display fields.

Going forward, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to expand the scope of eligibility for designation as national research laboratories and national research facilities to include universities and specialized research institutes in the materials, parts, and equipment sector, and also plans to proceed with N-TEAM starting from the second designation.

Minister Choi Ki-young stated, “We will ensure laboratory safety and continuously improve the research environment so that researchers can focus solely on their work.”