"Removing the Economic Feasibility Yardstick"... 100 Billion Won National R&D to Undergo 'Full-Cycle Evaluation' Instead of PFS

Ministry of Science and ICT Launches Full-Scale Evaluation System for Infrastructure-Type R&D Projects

Step-by-Step Management from Planning and Design to Changes...

"Transition to a Customized R&D System"

The preliminary feasibility study (PFS) for national research and development (R&D), which previously focused solely on "economic viability," will be abolished. In its place, a new evaluation system will be fully implemented, which will conduct step-by-step reviews of the entire process—from assessing the feasibility of large-scale research projects to design changes and budget adjustments.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it has completed preparations for the full-cycle evaluation system for infrastructure-type R&D projects, including revisions to enforcement ordinances and detailed guidelines, as well as the formation of an evaluation committee. The ministry stated that it will officially begin operations starting May 11, 2026.

Photo for reference to aid understanding of the article. The Asia Business Daily DB

Previously, in February, the government amended the Framework Act on Science and Technology to abolish the R&D PFS and establish the legal basis for implementing customized pre-assessment systems according to different types of R&D. While the new system for research-type R&D was introduced immediately, separate enforcement ordinances and evaluation systems have been under development for infrastructure-type R&D, such as the construction of large research facilities and equipment.

The core of the new system is to move away from a pre-verification process focused on economic feasibility and instead manage the entire project in stages. It targets large-scale infrastructure-type R&D projects with a total budget of 100 billion won or more and government funding of at least 50 billion won.

Step-by-Step Evaluation from Project Initiation to Design Changes

The new evaluation framework consists of a "Project Implementation Evaluation," which reviews the feasibility of project initiation; a "Design Suitability Evaluation," which assesses design completeness and technical risks; and a "Major Plan Change Evaluation," which responds to changes in the project environment.

The Ministry of Science and ICT expects that, through this system, it will be able to manage technical and financial risks of large-scale infrastructure-type R&D projects at each stage of the process.

The ministry is also strengthening evaluation expertise. It has established the "Infrastructure-type R&D Project Evaluation Committee," chaired by the Head of the Office for Science and Technology Innovation, and has secured approximately 240 experts from academia and industry. In addition, separate expert review panels will be operated for each project, taking into account their specific characteristics and scale.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to fully implement the system, starting with accepting evaluation requests for new infrastructure-type R&D projects from each government ministry.

Park Inkyu, Head of the Office for Science and Technology Innovation, said, "We will make every effort to operate the system so that necessary research infrastructure is provided to researchers in a timely manner and to enhance the nation’s research competitiveness."

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