The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it has selected five new institutions — Korea National University of Transportation, Dongguk University, Sangmyung University, Soongsil University and Hannam University — as participants in the STEM Research Living Stipend Support Program for the second half of 2026, a program designed to support a stable research environment for graduate students in science and engineering. With this selection, the number of participating universities rises from 43 to 48, and the number of graduate students guaranteed a monthly baseline amount expands from about 52,000 to 55,000.
 [코리안투데이] Announcement of the newly selected universities for the STEM Research Living Stipend © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) made the announcement on the 3rd. The program is being pursued as part of National Agenda Item No. 27, ‘Building a Basic Research Ecosystem and Realizing a Science and Technology Talent Powerhouse.’
The Research Living Stipend Support Program links government support to the student support funds paid by university industry-academic cooperation foundations through government research and development (R&D) projects and other channels. Through this, it guarantees payment of at least a baseline amount of 800,000 won per month for master’s students and 1.1 million won per month for doctoral students. For example, in the case of a doctoral student, the baseline is met by combining 500,000 won in government R&D student labor costs, a 200,000 won scholarship from an academic service project and 400,000 won in government support. Beyond individual support, the program also supports the establishment of university-level systems for paying and managing student support funds.
The purpose of the system is to establish a minimum safety net so that graduate students can focus on research without worrying about living expenses. In practice, securing a floor for student support funds has also improved overall payment levels. An analysis of the 35 universities that participated in 2025 found that the average monthly student support fund rose from 1.41 million won to 1.64 million won for master’s students, and from 2 million won to 2.31 million won for doctoral students. Reflecting the number of students at each university, the overall payment level in 2025 rose about 15.9 percent compared with 2024.
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to support the five newly selected universities so that the program takes root in the field at an early stage, through measures such as tailored consulting for each university and monitoring of initial implementation status.
The program will expand in phases. During the introductory first phase (2025–2027), the government will examine operating conditions and the participation demand on university campuses while broadening the base of participation, and based on the achievements and field input accumulated during this period, it will pursue advancement of the program in the developmental second phase (2028–2030), including raising support levels, strengthening payment stability, and enhancing universities’ autonomy and accountability.
The results of the second-half 2026 open call have been posted on the Integrated R&D Information System (IRIS, https://www.iris.go.kr), and further details can be found on the website of the National Research Foundation of Korea (https://www.nrf.re.kr).
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