Recruitment of New Basic Research Projects Worth 2 Trillion Won Next Year

Ministry of Science and ICT to Start New Project Calls from the 11th
Expansion of Young Researchers and Regional Investment

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 10th that it will begin accepting applications for new basic research projects from the 11th through next year. The total budget is 2.05 trillion KRW, an increase of 48.7 billion KRW compared to the previous year.

A new long-term basic research program called "Hanumulpagi" will be established to support promising young researchers in challenging research for up to 10 years in a stable and sustained manner. Eligible candidates include university science and engineering professors, government-funded research institute researchers, and private research institute researchers within 15 years of obtaining their doctoral degree. Support will be provided for up to 2 billion KRW annually for a maximum of 10 years, with a total allocation of about 3 billion KRW for 15 projects.

A new overseas training track under the Sejong Science Fellowship program for postdoctoral researchers has also been introduced. It targets researchers in 12 national strategic technology fields who have obtained their doctoral degree within 7 years or are under 39 years old, providing support of 70 million KRW annually for 2 years to 50 individuals.

Additionally, to foster university research institutions in national strategic technology fields, a new project called the "Innovation Research Center (IRC)" has been launched, providing support of up to 5 billion KRW annually for a maximum of 10 years. The Regional Leading Research Center (RLRC) support project for balanced regional development will expand to 22 centers starting next year, and the regional university allocation for the Basic Research Laboratory project, which supports small research groups, will be increased from the current 30% to 40% upon new selections.

The support system will also be improved. In response to the rising age of assistant professor appointments, the eligibility for early-career researchers will be expanded to include faculty members within 5 years of their assistant professor appointment. Through the introduction of the Integrated Research Support System (IRIS), standardized researcher-centered support services will be provided for new project applications, selection evaluations, and agreements, improving the overall system.

Detailed information and the implementation schedule can be found on the Ministry of Science and ICT and Korea Research Foundation websites.

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