Increasing Transparency in Research Fund Management... Launch of Support Capability Evaluation

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] The "Research Activity Support Capability Evaluation" aimed at enhancing the transparency of research administration in government research and development (R&D) projects will be implemented for the first time starting on the 23rd. Since this evaluation determines the indirect cost rates for government R&D projects, participation from 42 government-funded research institutes and universities is highly anticipated. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) announced the details of the "Research Activity Support Capability Evaluation" on the 22nd.

This evaluation is a newly introduced system this year, designed to improve the transparency of research fund management. It also replaces the existing evaluation system for research fund management.

The evaluation criteria are primarily focused on the integrity of the research fund management system. Evaluation items cover all aspects of research administration, including satisfaction with research support services, the capability of research support organizations, the degree of improvement in researcher treatment, and the appropriateness of research ethics management.

Government-funded research institutes and universities participating in government R&D projects are required to undergo this evaluation. This is because the evaluation results are essential for calculating the indirect cost ratio within research funds.

Applications for the evaluation must be submitted by 6 p.m. on May 8. Upon submission of the application form, self-evaluation report, and supporting documents, a panel of experts from the research field will conduct a written and on-site evaluation, with the final evaluation results confirmed in November.

The final evaluation results will be disclosed on the National Science and Technology Knowledge Information Service. The evaluation results will be applied when calculating the indirect cost rates for each institution in next year’s national R&D projects.

Lee Seok-rae, Director of the Evaluation Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Through this evaluation, a culture will be established where researchers take responsibility for their research outcomes and research institutions take responsibility for research administration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.