Research Industry Revenue Surpasses 28 Trillion Won... R&D Expenditure at 5.2 Trillion Won

Revenue generated by domestic research industry companies has surpassed 28 trillion won. The number of professionals working in the industry has also reached 190,000.

Ministry of Science and ICT logo. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on April 14 the results of the 2025 Research Industry Survey. The research industry refers to an interconnected sector that supports all stages of research and development (R&D), including R&D strategy formulation and design/analysis, testing/analysis, prototype production, and the supply of research equipment and materials. This survey, which was designated as a national approved statistic in June 2024, marks the second such assessment, allowing for a closer examination of industry trends.

According to the survey, as of 2024, there were 21,007 research industry companies, a 6.1% increase from the previous year (19,797 companies). Total domestic research industry revenue was recorded at 28.6 trillion won. Of this, domestic sales accounted for 25.9 trillion won, representing 90.6% of the total. By sub-sector, contract research generated 17.8 trillion won, research materials 8 trillion won, research management 1.6 trillion won, and research equipment 1.6 trillion won.

Total R&D expenditure by research industry companies was 5.2 trillion won, a 2.5% decrease compared to the previous year. However, this represented 11.3% of total revenue, significantly higher than the national average for companies in Korea, which is 3.85%.

The number of people working in the research industry increased by 2.2% year-on-year, reaching 190,000. The proportion of employees with master's or doctoral degrees was 28.7%, which is 3.5 times higher than the overall average for Korean companies (8.1%). The proportion of companies with research organizations or departments was 42.8%, and 51.6% of companies reported having in-house R&D achievements.

Research industry companies identified the need for securing specialized talent (49.3%) and strengthening technological competitiveness (46.3%) as key requirements for technology development. From a business management perspective, companies pointed to the impact of economic fluctuations (56.0%) and difficulties in raising funds (51.4%) as major challenges.

Lee Eunyoung, Director of Research Achievements and Innovation at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Through the nationally approved Research Industry Survey, we have confirmed that the research industry is developing into a knowledge-intensive sector. We will continue to conduct highly reliable surveys to inform policy development and further strengthen the competitiveness of Korea's research industry."

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