The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) held a briefing on the 「2026 National R&D Administrative System Improvement Plan」 at 2 p.m. on September 22 in the main auditorium of the Catholic University of Korea (Songsin Campus) in Seoul, attended by researchers from a wide range of fields including universities, companies, and research institutes, and listened to on-the-ground views on the detailed implementation measures. The improvement plan focuses on creating a research environment in which researchers can take bold challenges based on autonomy and in which all participating researchers are treated fairly.
 [코리안투데이] Briefing on the 「2026 National R&D Administrative System Improvement Plan」 © 장형임 기자 |
The briefing was arranged to explain directly to the research community the purpose and key contents of the administrative system improvement plan, which was reviewed and approved at the deliberation session of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology on August 26, and to actively gather opinions. The plan is scheduled to take full effect in 2027, and this session served as a preliminary step to reflect field voices ahead of implementation.
At the heart of the plan is a shift in the project evaluation paradigm toward a ‘challenge-centered’ approach. Its main components include ▲innovating the interim and final evaluation systems, such as strengthening the selection and support of outstanding projects, ▲introducing a ‘moving target’ system that allows research goals to be changed swiftly, ▲raising the ceiling for private contracts on research facilities and equipment, and ▲improving standards to enhance fairness in the distribution of research stipends. In particular, for research stipends, a new per-researcher cap will be introduced to prevent stipends from becoming concentrated in specific researchers as they participate in larger projects.
These improvements reflect concerns that have long been raised in the research field. Evaluation methods that push researchers toward safe projects with a high probability of success rather than challenging research that accepts the risk of failure, rigid management that forces adherence to initial goals even amid rapidly changing research conditions, and a distribution structure in which stipends are concentrated regardless of the level of participation have all been identified as targets for reform.
The briefing ran until 3:30 p.m., beginning at 2 p.m. with opening remarks by the Director-General of the Performance Evaluation and Policy Bureau, followed by an explanation of the administrative system improvement plan by the responsible official (2:10 p.m.–2:50 p.m.) and a question-and-answer and opinion-gathering session (2:50 p.m.–3:25 p.m.). The venue, the main auditorium on the second floor of the Institute of Biomedical Industry at the Catholic University College of Medicine, had a capacity of 300 and was open to anyone interested in research, including researchers from industry, academia, and research institutes as well as staff from specialized agencies.
In the latter part of the briefing, a question-and-answer and opinion-gathering session followed, and participants asked about the purpose and expected effects of each improvement measure, including the reform of stipend standards. Participants’ interest was focused on the considerations that must be taken into account as the system is applied to actual research settings.
Hong Sun-jung, Director-General of the Performance Evaluation and Policy Bureau, said, ‘This system improvement is intended to create a research environment in which researchers can take bold challenges based on autonomy and in which all participating researchers are treated more fairly,’ adding, ‘We will carry out follow-up measures without setbacks so that the system can take firm root in the field.’
The plan is being pursued as part of a related national policy task aimed at ‘building an R&D ecosystem in which researchers can focus on research and produce results.’ As it overhauls the rules governing research activities as a whole—including evaluation, goal management, administrative procedures, and compensation—it is expected to bring substantial changes to the treatment of individual researchers and to the way research is conducted.
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화
THE KOREAN TODAY × WIA CODE
이 기사의 WIA Code
WIA Code 스캐너로 비추면 인터넷 없이 발행 사실과 위·변조 여부를 확인할 수 있습니다.
휴대폰 기본 카메라로 찍으면 스캐너 안내 페이지가 열립니다 — 기사 바로 열기
움직이는 코드(스트림) 한 장에 기사 전문(사진 포함)이 담겨 있습니다 — WIA Code 스캐너로 약 23초 비추면 폰에 저장되어 인터넷 없이도 읽을 수 있습니다. Stream.mp4 도 여기서 받습니다.
WIA Code · 코리안투데이
Leave a Reply