The Ministry of Science and ICT will overhaul the group research support system funded by government research and development (R&D) projects. The core objective is to change the group research support system so that universities can serve as large-scale, converged research hubs.
The Ministry of Science and ICT noted on the 2nd that it held the '3rd Basic Research Strategy Dialogue' to discuss strategies for qualitative advancement of basic research. The first and second dialogues discussed visions for basic research and ways to reform individual basic research support systems.
The meeting addressed the 'group research support system for enhancing university research competitiveness.' Group research began back in 1990 through the Excellent Research Center Project during the era of the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is now conducted under the Leading Research Center project. From 1990 to 2024, approximately 4.1 trillion won has been invested in group research, resulting in over 80,000 papers and more than 7,000 patents.
Participants at the meeting agreed that group research should go beyond merely having researchers gather to conduct their respective studies; it should combine knowledge and technology from different fields to lead to innovative and impactful research. Suggestions were made for increasing stagnant research funding, promoting joint ownership and utilization of intellectual property (IP) among participating universities, and easing regulations on participating researchers.
There were also suggestions for subdividing the government's group research support system. This includes establishing a 'growth track' to systematically support the growth and organization of research groups based on size, and reinforcing support for follow-up research to deepen studies of excellent research groups through the establishment of an 'in-depth track.'
Lee Chang-yoon, the first vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, who chaired the meeting said, 'Through the basic research strategy dialogue, we were able to explore practical directions for improving the group research support system to create a 'group research that is truly group research' and contribute to enhancing university competitiveness.' He added, 'We aim to swiftly refine the policy alternatives proposed during the basic research strategy dialogue and actively reflect them starting from the 2026 budgeting phase.'