National Assembly Passes National Research Data Management and Utilization Promotion Act: "Consolidating Dispersed Data"

Baek Gung-hoon: "Research Data Is a Core Asset in the Age of AI"

Vice Minister Paek Kyunghoon of Science and Technology and Minister of Science and ICT is speaking on current issues such as data policy direction in the era of AI transformation at the Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on April 30, 2026. Photo by Cho Yongjun

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the "Act on the Management and Utilization of National Research Data" (the National Research Data Act) was passed at the National Assembly plenary session on May 7.

Research data refers to data generated through experiments, observations, surveys, and analyses during the research and development process, serving as information necessary for verifying or reproducing research results. With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, the value of data has come to the forefront, and securing and utilizing research data has become increasingly important, separate from research outcomes such as academic papers and patents.

However, until now, research data produced through national research and development projects has not been subject to mandatory management. Its administration has been left to the discretion of each ministry, research and development institution, or individual researcher, according to the National Research and Development Information Processing Standards. The methods for making research data public, the relevant standards, and rights recognition systems have not been clearly established, making it difficult for researchers to identify the whereabouts of research data produced by others or to share and utilize such research data.

Going forward, with the enactment of the National Research Data Act, all research and development institutions carrying out national research and development projects will be obligated to manage national research data. In principle, national research data produced will be made public, except in cases where there are legal grounds for non-disclosure, such as business secrets or national security concerns, in which case the data may be kept non-public for a specified period.

In addition, public national research data will be disclosed by registering or linking it to a national research data integrated platform or specialized platforms by field, which will be designated in the future. This will allow researchers to access the data easily.

The National Research Data Act is scheduled to take effect around May 2027, one year after its promulgation following the Cabinet meeting resolution. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to communicate with relevant ministries and the research community to ensure the law is implemented smoothly, and will pursue follow-up measures, including the enactment of subordinate legislation such as enforcement decrees and notifications.

Deputy Prime Minister Baek Gung-hoon stated, "Research data is a core research asset in the era of artificial intelligence and a foundation for accumulating and disseminating the results of national research and development investment. With the enactment of this law, I hope that research data will be safely protected, while also being widely utilized by both the research and industrial sectors to contribute to follow-up research, AI model development, and improvements in research productivity."

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