Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im said on the 28th, “Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation are creating massive changes and disruptive innovations across all industries, and we will establish a government-wide cooperation system for the commercialization of information and communication technology (ICT).”
Minister Yoo noted at the 'AI and digital commercialization strategy dialogue' held at the Coreana Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, that “ICT technology is at the core of the intensifying global technology hegemony competition, and the commercialization of ICT technology will serve as an important foundation for Korea to overcome the low growth crisis it faces and leapfrog as a global technology leader.”
The event was organized to create an ecosystem where ICT R&D (research and development) results directly contribute to national growth engines. Executives from specialized institutions and organizations related to AI and digital technology, including the Korea Information & Communication Technology Association, the Korea Software Industry Association, the Venture Business Association, the Korea Information Communication Promotion Association, and the Korea Telecommunication Operators Association, participated. This was held as a follow-up event to the national technology commercialization vision declaration ceremony that took place on April 30th.
The first discussion on that day was about 'establishing an industry-centered R&D system and expanding subsequent support'. Relevant agencies stated that since applied and development R&D aims to be applied and utilized in industry, it is essential for the industry to participate, and that the involvement of industry experts should be expanded throughout the planning and evaluation stages. Furthermore, they indicated that they would enhance subsequent support to ensure that technologies secured through R&D lead to commercialization and product development, while also establishing a cooperation system among various ICT specialized institutions.
A plan to lead technology commercialization centered on ICT grants was also discussed. First, to respond to the demands of the ICT industry, they will expand support for grant-oriented research activities and broaden the ultimate goal of grants' R&D to include commercialization. Additionally, they will expand the interface between grants and the industry through technology briefings and introduce various models for utilizing research results from grants, including securing international standard patents and planning-type startups.
Bang Seung-chan, the president of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), stated, “The industrial spread of R&D results is still limited, and the one-time corporate support methods are not impactful.” He added, “If a business involves R&D, they receive research allowances, but for non-R&D businesses, there are instances where people are hesitant as they do not receive research allowances. Officially, for instance, it would be good to prepare commercialization methods.”
Discussions were also held on strengthening measures for fostering ICT technology commercialization corporations. To cultivate technology commercialization companies as main players in the market, they will activate technology commercialization-based startups and expand financial support for challenging tech startups through public-private collaboration funds. Furthermore, they will support the market expansion of products and solutions from outstanding R&D corporations in conjunction with domestic market development support projects and ICT overseas expansion support programs.
In this strategy dialogue, discussions on policy measures to promote ICT technology commercialization were held, along with sharing and reviewing the current status of technology commercialization for the three major game changers: AI, AI semiconductors, and quantum technology. Relevant agencies agreed that Korea must develop AI semiconductor technology as a core national technology. There were also opinions that close collaboration support among related ministries, considering the characteristics of the semiconductor R&D commercialization stages, is necessary.
The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that after supplementing and specifying the ICT technology commercialization support tasks discussed in the strategy dialogue, they will actively continue inter-ministerial conversations.