Full-Scale Training of 1,000 Quantum Science Experts by 2030

Ministry of Science and ICT Announces at 1st Strategic Technology Talent Policy Meeting on the 13th at KIST
Consortium of 9 Universities Led by Korea University Holds Quantum Graduate School Inauguration Ceremony, Full-Scale Operation Begins

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government has begun full-scale efforts to train 1,000 specialists by 2030 to foster quantum science, a rapidly emerging strategic technology innovation field.

On the 13th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced this at the '1st Strategic Technology (Quantum Technology) Talent Policy Meeting' and the plaque unveiling ceremony for the Quantum Graduate School and Climate Technology Talent Training Center held at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Hongneung, Seoul.

The meeting focused on strategies to secure talent in the quantum technology field, which was the subject of this year's Nobel Prize in Physics and an area South Korea must quickly catch up in. The results of the analysis on the current domestic and international workforce in quantum technology were shared, followed by discussions on future talent acquisition policies. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the number of domestic researchers in the quantum science field is about 500, which is significantly smaller compared to competitor countries such as the United States with 3,100 and Japan with 800. The number of researchers by key technology is 261 in quantum computing, 187 in quantum communication, and 42 in quantum sensing. Additionally, the number of domestic inventors who have filed U.S. patents related to quantum technology is around 100, with 25 in quantum computing, 68 in quantum communication, and about 7 in quantum sensing. Approximately 50 overseas Korean researchers are also active abroad, including in the U.S.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has been promoting policies to expand the base of quantum personnel and revitalize the research ecosystem. In addition to the existing University Information and Communication Technology Research Centers (ITRC) operating since 2015 in four major areas?quantum communication, sensing, computing, and devices?starting this year, the ministry plans to select and support one university consortium annually until 2024 to operate a Quantum Graduate School aimed at training top-level experts (PhD level) in domestic universities.

In particular, the Quantum Graduate School consortium led by Korea University, consisting of nine universities selected this year, held a plaque unveiling ceremony and officially began operations. Over a total of nine years (4+3+2 years), it will develop and operate specialized quantum education programs for master's and doctoral students, aiming to produce more than 180 PhD-level talents. The program will be a four-year course comprising a two-year interdisciplinary curriculum within the university, a one-year field-oriented experimental and practical training course at research institutes, and a one-year project course including domestic and international internships.

Furthermore, the ministry is considering establishing a talent-based growth ladder support system to help junior researchers in the quantum technology field grow into leadership roles. In addition, to activate the attraction of global talent in the quantum field, the existing overseas outstanding scientist recruitment programs (Brain Pool, Brain Pool+ projects) will be expanded to promote the recruitment of foreign experts in strategic technologies.

Based on expert opinions discussed at this meeting, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to concretize policy tasks and prepare a plan to secure core talent in the quantum field by December.

Oh Tae-seok, 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “We will prepare support measures not only to expand the quantitative scale but also to improve researcher capabilities. Centered on large-scale research and development (R&D) projects such as building a 50-qubit Korean quantum computer, we plan to establish an organic support system linking research and education, including core technology development and joint training for master's and doctoral students.”

Meanwhile, on the same day, the 'Climate Technology Talent Training Center' was also inaugurated with a plaque unveiling ceremony to develop core technologies and train advanced personnel in the field of climate change response technology. It aims to nurture experts who will contribute to achieving national carbon neutrality based on an understanding of not only carbon-neutral technologies but also related domestic and international policies and economics. The leading center for training personnel in hydrogen technology development (a consortium of four universities led by Inha University) and the diffusion center for training experts in overseas dissemination of developed technologies (a consortium of three universities led by Korea University) held plaque unveiling ceremonies. Over three years, more than 120 specialists will be trained.

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