'Research Laboratory Safety Manager' Certification System to Be Established

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT is attending the 'Post-Corona Era Untact Industry Strategy Forum' held at the National Assembly on the 13th, delivering a greeting./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A bill aimed at reducing administrative burdens on researchers by organizing regulations for 286 national research and development projects and strengthening laboratory safety management through laboratory safety managers passed the Cabinet meeting on the 2nd. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to create subordinate statutes over six months and implement the bill in full.

The newly enacted National Research and Development Innovation Act focuses on simplifying the management regulations of national research and development projects scattered across ministries. It is a law designed to reduce administrative burdens on researchers. According to a government survey (2016), domestic university researchers reported spending 62.7% of their working hours on administrative tasks.

With the passage of the "Act on the Creation of a Safe Laboratory Environment," a national professional qualification system called "Laboratory Safety Manager," responsible for laboratory safety management, will be established. The government aims to secure laboratory safety while also increasing jobs. The bill includes provisions requiring laboratories to be equipped with protective gear and strengthening the responsibilities of laboratory supervisors to guide research personnel to wear protective equipment. It also includes provisions to designate safety managers for small branch campuses in an integrated manner.

Additionally, the Cabinet meeting approved the "Research and Development Special Zone Act," which contains regulatory exceptions for the demonstration of new technologies within 11 nationwide research and development special zones. Once this law is implemented, researchers within the designated special zones will be able to receive regulatory exceptions if they encounter difficulties due to regulations during the demonstration of new technologies in the research and development process.

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