Ministry of Science vows to increase R&D budget in 2025

[Photo by MK DB]

The South Korean government will strive to ensure that the majority of the scientific community will be satisfied with the 2025 research and development (R&D) budget, according to Ryu Kwang-jun, who heads the office of science, technology and innovation coordination at the Ministry of Science and ICT.

“I am well aware of the community’s various concerns regarding the R&D budget,” Ryu said in an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper on Friday. “I will address those concerns with the 2025 R&D budget.”

Ryu noted that the government may not be able to satisfy all 100 members but pledged it will strive to ensure a majority approval.

The office of science, technology and innovation coordination is the control tower overseeing science and technology policies and is responsible for the overall budgeting, investment deliberation, and performance evaluation for national R&D projects.

Ryu, who was appointed in February 2024, is known for his background in finance from his tenure at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Under his command, the science office has set a direction to significantly increase the 2025 budget for primary and advanced R&D.

“The direction of R&D investment in 2025 is important, but the budget is ultimately the result of that direction,” Ryu said. “We will change the systems and institutions that the science and technology community have raised concerns about, but we will demonstrate our commitment with the budget first.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol has pledged to significantly increase next year’s R&D budget, and Ryu’s remarks are viewed as a concrete confirmation of Yoon’s intentions.

“The 2025 R&D budget will support sufficient research into what we truly need,” Ryu said, adding, “We will allocate a sufficient budget for the country’s future.”

One part of the budget that is being increased is for innovative and challenging R&D, with projects aiming for the highest global standards and capable of innovative ripple effects categorized as innovative and challenging R&D.

Six ministries and 21 projects have already been designated.

“We will increase the budget for these projects to 5 percent of the entire government R&D budget by 2027,” Ryu said. “This means taking a more ambitious approach to R&D than the United States, as the DARPA project, the country’s innovative and challenging R&D project, accounts for 3.4 percent of the entire U.S. R&D budget.”

Ryu noted that the budget for innovative and challenging R&D projects accounts for about 2.6 percent of the total government R&D budget as of 2024.

The government has also formed a consultative body for the proper operation of innovative and challenging R&D, which includes representatives from the ministries responsible for the projects, research management agencies, and on-site managers.

Until now, all stakeholders involved in the projects had not gathered to discuss project progress or identify on-site issues.

“Everyone participating in R&D projects will become a unified team, breaking down barriers and dedicating themselves to achieving the best and most significant results,” Ryu said. “The consultative body will play its role monthly or as needed.”