Government to Invest 940 Billion Won in Advanced Medical Device R&D Over Seven Years

Four Ministries Launch Joint Second Phase of Pan-Ministerial Advanced Medical Device R&D Project

The government will invest 940 billion won in research and development (R&D) over the next seven years to develop world-class medical devices and promote the localization of essential medical equipment.

On November 5, four ministries-the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety-held a business presentation for the "Second Phase of the Pan-Ministerial Advanced Medical Device R&D Project" at the President Hotel in Seoul. They announced that a total of 940.8 billion won (838.3 billion won from the government and 102.5 billion won from the private sector) will be invested from 2026 to 2032.

Business Presentation Poster. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT

This second-phase project aims to develop six world-first or world-leading medical devices and to localize thirteen essential medical devices. It is a pan-ministerial collaborative project that supports the entire medical device R&D cycle-from basic and fundamental research to commercialization, clinical trials, and regulatory approval-with a focus on fostering next-generation medical devices utilizing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.

The government plans to use this project to strengthen the global competitiveness of the medical device industry and strategically nurture the sector as a new national growth engine. A Ministry of Science and ICT official explained, "The development of innovative medical devices incorporating AI and robotics will improve the quality of medical services and reduce dependence on imports."

This project is a follow-up to the "First Phase of the Pan-Ministerial Full-Cycle Medical Device R&D Project," which began in 2020 and passed a preliminary feasibility study in August. In the first phase, 467 projects were supported, resulting in 433 regulatory approvals, 72 technology transfers, and 254 cases of commercialization. Notably, the first phase achieved the localization of hemodialysis filters, which had previously relied entirely on imports, and developed the world's first AI-based software for assisting with cerebral infarction diagnosis, among other significant accomplishments.

To ensure these achievements continue, the government plans to strengthen the full-cycle support system-spanning R&D, clinical trials, regulatory approval, and commercialization-through the second-phase project.

A government official stated, "This project is a core strategy for making the medical device industry a future national growth engine," adding, "We will continue to communicate with researchers and reflect feedback from the field to ensure that the project leads to tangible results."

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