National R&D funding, which was drastically cut by the Yoon Suk Yeol authorities, will be restored to the largest scale ever. Beyond merely filling the diminished price range, it’s evaluated as a “re-design” that grows new development fields comparable to synthetic intelligence (AI), vitality, and strategic applied sciences as future development engines. However, there are voices calling for selection and focus so that giant budgets don’t movement again to sharing by ministries.
On the twenty second, the authorities confirmed the “2026 National R&D Budget” at 35.3 trillion gained at the National Science and Technology Advisory Council presided over by President Lee Jae-myung. It is the largest ever, up 19.3% from this 12 months. The first R&D price range plan of the Lee Jae-myung authorities is summarized as the concept of restoring the collapsed analysis ecosystem and enhancing future industrial competitiveness by utilizing “technology-led growth” and “everyone’s growth” as the two pillars. “We will create an era where researchers are respected and science changes the future again,” mentioned Jungwoo Ha, senior presidential secretary for AI future planning at the president’s workplace. “We will not only increase the budget, but also push for all-round reforms to innovate the incentive system, improve the evaluation system, and strengthen the attraction of female scientists and foreign talents.”
AI is the space that confirmed the largest enhance in subsequent 12 months’s R&D price range. 2.3 trillion gained was allotted, up 106.1% from the earlier 12 months. It goals to safe world impartial capabilities, together with general-purpose synthetic intelligence (AGI), low-power and lightweight AI, and ‘bodily AI’ that may be applied in bodily house. Chief Ha emphasised, “We will develop a world-class independent AI foundation model and spread specialized AI with global universality and competitiveness.”
At the assembly, President Lee mentioned, “We are about to launch the ‘National AI Strategy Committee’ and announce the ‘Korea AI Action Plan’ next month,” and requested for preparations to appreciate the ‘three main AI powers’ and ‘a fundamental AI society’. In this regard, Chief Ha mentioned, “The AI Action Plan includes infrastructure construction, plans to attract overseas talent, artificial intelligence transformation (AX) in public and industrial sectors, utilization of AI in real life for the people, and securing global initiatives. Under the leadership of the president, we will establish and implement an AI action plan centered on the National AI Strategy Committee.”
The R&D price range for vitality conversion has additionally elevated considerably, with 2.6 trillion gained allotted. It builds a next-generation vitality aorta with ultra-high effectivity photo voltaic cells, ultra-large wind energy era, and small module reactors (SMR).
In addition, 8.5 trillion gained will be invested in strategic applied sciences alone, together with unique applied sciences comparable to quantum computing and artificial biology, and commercialization applied sciences comparable to humanoid robots and autonomous driving. The protection sector mirrored 3.9 trillion gained, a rise of 25.3% from this 12 months, on fostering strategic export industries comparable to upgrading the efficiency of K9 self-propelled artillery and strengthening the integration of recent applied sciences. The small and medium-sized enterprise sector will make investments 3.4 trillion gained, up 39.3% from this 12 months.
The science and expertise group welcomed the enlargement of the R&D price range. Koo Bon-kyung, head of IBS Genomics Research Division, mentioned, “It is the right direction to focus on AI and it is good to see renewable energy and small nuclear reactors go together. Above all, we hope that we will significantly revise our strategy to attract the best human resources at a time when the national image is improving due to the K-culture craze.” Some identified that focus ought to be paid to restoring the fundamental science ecosystem. Yoo In-kwon, a physics professor at Pusan National University, mentioned, “The key is how much the collapsing basic science ecosystem will be restored with this budget and how many researchers will return from the field. We hope that policies specialized in basic research will be maintained and expanded.”
There had been additionally many voices calling for an “operational grave” to forestall price range waste, comparable to overlapping price range execution between ministries and mass manufacturing of bancrupt analysis with solely excessive success charges. “As increasing R&D investment does not all come to fruition, it is necessary to check the entire technology commercialization system,” mentioned Ahn Joon-mo, a professor of public administration at Korea University (CEO of the institute). “It would be good to repair the deep technology start-up incentive system based on universities, research institutes, and public technology.”
[Reporter Kim Kyu-sik / Reporter Sung Seung-hoon / Reporter Choi Won-seok]