Training Hub for Physician-Scientists at 6 Hospitals... "Mandatory 16 Hours of Research per Week"

Ministry of Science and ICT to Support a Total of 45.6 Billion KRW from Next Year
Six New 'Innovative Future Medical Research Centers' Selected

Researcher-physician training centers that can combine research and development (R&D) and clinical practice will be established in six major hospitals nationwide. In exchange for providing a total support of approximately 45 billion KRW, affiliated doctors are required to allocate at least 16 hours per week for research.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 26th that it has newly selected six 'Innovative Future Medical Research Centers' to nurture physician-scientists, key talents in the bio field, and will begin research from the end of April.

The goal of the 'Innovative Future Medical Research Centers' is to produce research outcomes that can be practically applied in medical settings and to create an environment conducive to research for physician-scientists. They support joint research between medical doctors (MDs) affiliated with medical schools who have clinical duties and researchers (Ph.D.s) in science and engineering fields.

The country was divided into six regions for public recruitment and evaluation. As a result, Samsung Medical Center was selected for the Seoul region; Seoul National University Bundang Hospital for the Incheon·Gyeonggi region; Hallym University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation for the Daegu·Gangwon·Gyeongbuk region; Dankook University College of Medicine Affiliated Hospital for the Daejeon·Sejong·Chungnam·Chungbuk region; Pusan National University Hospital for the Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam region; and Jeonbuk National University Hospital for the Gwangju·Jeonnam·Jeonbuk·Jeju region. These centers will receive a total of 45.9 billion KRW in research funding over four years from next year through 2026.

Specifically, the six centers will conduct research to discover excellent ideas that can be practically applied to address unmet needs in medical practice and realize them. They will also create tangible results by building business models and promoting commercialization based on the developed technologies. For example, Samsung Medical Center plans to develop next-generation new medical technologies and drugs by utilizing digital technologies such as AI-based algorithms based on its patient-centered clinical big data. Dankook University College of Medicine Affiliated Hospital will conduct research using various scientific approaches such as cell therapy and photostimulation to overcome the limitations of treatment methods for traumatic injuries, a sequela of traffic accidents.

Additionally, each center must secure laboratory space and guarantee sufficient research time to create an environment where physician-scientists can conduct research stably. Technology commercialization consulting, corporate linkage programs, and bio-industry field training support programs are mandatory. In particular, to ensure research time for physician-scientists, doctors affiliated with the centers are required to secure at least 16 hours of research time per week out of a 40-hour workweek, with a commitment made under the hospital director’s name.

Lee Chang-yoon, Director of the R&D Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “Physician-scientists are highly skilled researchers who can utilize abundant medical data and resources from hospitals based on their deep understanding of the human body and diseases, and they are essential convergent talents who will lead innovation in the biohealth sector. As the trend of excellent science and engineering talents flocking to medical schools intensifies, we will actively prepare policies and support measures to expand pathways for medical professionals to grow into physician-scientists.”

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