[The Heart of Innovation, Corporate Research Institute ⑧] Corporate Research Institute Act to Inspire Corporate Technologists Takes Effect Next Year

A new era is dawning for corporate research and development (R&D) in South Korea. This is because the "Act on Support for Research and Development of Corporate Research Institutes, etc." (Corporate Research Institute Act) will take effect on February 1 next year.

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This law is expected to inject significant vitality into the R&D ecosystem by easing regulations-a long-standing demand from the field-and by introducing measures to boost the morale of corporate researchers who have long been overlooked.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on September 29 that it had issued a legislative notice for the subordinate statutes of the Corporate Research Institute Act. This comes about eight months after the bill passed the National Assembly in January.

The most notable aspect of this legislation is the official designation of September 7 each year as "Technology Developer's Day." This commemorates September 7, 2004, when the number of corporate research institutes in South Korea surpassed 10,000. With this, the nation is officially recognizing the hard work of approximately 50,000 corporate research institutes and 470,000 researchers responsible for the country's future, finally establishing a legal foundation to enhance their pride.

Koo Ja-kyun, Chairman of the Korea Industrial Technology Association, stated, "For researchers, pride and respect are even more important than simple rewards," adding, "When researchers are convinced that their work contributes to raising the nation's stature, they devote themselves to research with even greater passion." He highly praised the significance of implementing the Corporate Research Institute Act.

Chairman Koo has also emphasized, "Just as the United States bestows national honors with the 'National Medal of Technology and Innovation,' and the United Kingdom commemorates the father of artificial intelligence, Alan Turing, by featuring him on currency, our society must also elevate the status of researchers."

This legislation goes beyond symbolic gestures and includes numerous practical regulatory relaxations that reflect the voices from the corporate field.

The most significant change is the expansion of the scope for recognizing dedicated research personnel. Graduate students participating in national R&D projects will now be recognized as dedicated research staff. This is expected to greatly help small and venture companies address workforce shortages.

Additionally, the criteria for research spaces-which previously required fixed walls-have been relaxed so that movable partitions can now also be recognized as independent research spaces. This measure is intended to help startups and small research institutes build flexible and agile research environments.

Furthermore, the law institutionalizes the "Excellent Corporate Research Institute Designation System," which allows the government to officially recognize research institutes with outstanding technological innovation achievements. It also establishes a comprehensive support system by designating "Corporate R&D Support Centers" to promote the growth of corporate research institutes.

Chairman Koo also said, "With the implementation of the Corporate Research Institute Act next year, the Korea Industrial Technology Association will work even harder to lay the foundation for both large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises to grow together as a technology innovation platform."

Bae Kyunghoon, Minister of Science and ICT, predicted, "The subordinate statutes of the Corporate Research Institute Act will serve as a foundation for building a responsible, private sector-led R&D ecosystem."

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