100 Major Product Links, Materials, Processes, and Systems Bundle Development
11 public institutions, 35 universities, and 40 companies participated.
Large-scale technology transfer by research group within the business period


Nine industry-academia-research research groups will be operated to secure proprietary technologies essential for stabilizing the supply of core materials in key industries such as semiconductors, displays, and automobiles.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 18th that it has finalized the tasks and institutions for the Materials Innovation Leading Project and officially launched nine industry-academia-research convergence research groups with the participation of 11 public research institutes, 35 universities, and 40 companies.

The Materials Innovation Leading Project was launched in July of last year with the goal of achieving technological independence for 100 key items that urgently require government-level technology acquisition following Japan's export restrictions on Korea.

This project, which develops technologies that are essential for implementing and improving the performance of products based on technologies possessed by individual research institutes and are also common to multiple products, will receive a total investment of KRW 206.6 billion over five years.

In particular, by integrating core technologies, we enhance the level of technological perfection by providing a package of materials, processes, and systems that proceed from 'material design and implementation → securing a process for componentization of developed materials → system implementation and verification.'

The Ministry of Science and ICT officials expected that the developed technology will complete a large-scale technology transfer to related companies within the project period and secure technology fees of more than 1 billion won per research group, thereby contributing substantially to the establishment of a supply chain for the materials, parts, and equipment industries.

The research team for this project was formed by designating a public research institute that can serve as a bridge between basic and development research in the 100 key product areas, while also possessing technological development capabilities and verification infrastructure, as the overarching organization. The designated institute was then centered around demand and supply companies and universities.

The nine research groups selected were finally selected through open verification and evaluation by experts, including industry figures, on the following criteria: ① originality, innovation, and ripple effect of the technology owned, ② connection with 100 key items and N-Lab, and ③ industry-academia-research cooperation and technology transfer plans, among approximately 30 candidate technology groups.

The Ministry of Science and ICT will closely support the creation of excellence in research groups by utilizing the Materials Innovation Leading Headquarters launched in April, including collaboration and resolution of difficulties within research groups, and promotion of technology transfer through industry-academia-research cooperation networks. In consideration of the difficult business conditions due to COVID-19, the Ministry will support the private sector burden of participating organizations.The plan is to ease the gold ratio and exempt government technology fees.

Additionally, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to select eight new research groups in the second half of the year. To this end, a detailed analysis of 100 key products requiring mid- to long-term competitiveness enhancement and the identification of new technological needs are underway, a Ministry of Science and ICT official stated.