9.4 Trillion Won to Be Invested in Advanced Medical Device R&D by 2032

The government will launch the "Second Phase Pan-Ministerial Advanced Medical Device R&D Project," investing a total of 94.08 billion won-including 83.83 billion won in state funds and 10.25 billion won in private capital-over seven years from 2026 to 2032.

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The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety jointly held an information session for the "Second Phase Pan-Ministerial Advanced Medical Device R&D Project" on November 5 at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. The event provided researchers from industry, academia, research institutes, and hospitals in the medical device sector with key details about the project, as well as information on how to participate in new projects and the schedule for 2026.

The Pan-Ministerial Advanced Medical Device R&D Project is a collaborative initiative aimed at developing six world-first or world-class game-changing medical devices and localizing 13 essential medical devices. The project supports the entire R&D cycle for medical devices, from basic and fundamental research to product development, clinical trials, and regulatory approval.

In particular, the project will focus on the strategic development of future high-potential areas such as medical devices utilizing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The goal is to enhance global competitiveness in the medical device market and foster the medical device industry as a new growth engine for the nation.

This project passed the preliminary feasibility study for national R&D projects in August, building on the successful outcomes of the "First Phase Pan-Ministerial Medical Device R&D Project," which began in 2020.

During the first phase, a total of 467 projects were supported, resulting in 433 domestic and international regulatory approvals (331 domestic, 102 overseas), 72 technology transfers, and 254 commercializations over the past five years (2020-2024). The project also achieved world-class research outcomes, such as the localization of blood filters for artificial kidneys-which had previously been entirely imported-and the development of the world's first AI-based brain infarction diagnostic support software medical device. The government plans to ensure these achievements continue seamlessly by providing full-cycle support for medical device R&D through the follow-up second phase of the project.

The government stated, "This project is a pan-ministerial collaborative initiative to support the development of advanced medical devices, which are a national growth engine," adding, "We will continue to communicate closely with the research field to actively reflect the voices of researchers."

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