Park Soo-kyung, a professor of mechanical engineering at KAIST who recently published “Scientists in the Policy Office,” remembers that he was not a “civil servant somehow” however a “civil servant all of a sudden.” He confessed that he had a lot of realization that he felt like he had taken a grasp’s diploma in coverage research for 2 years after being appointed as a science and know-how adviser within the Moon Jae In authorities in 2020. Professor Park stated, “That’s how different the perspective of scientists and the logic of the public office are,” including, “I wrote a kind of monument or guidebook because I hope that my fellow scientists will not go through trial and error as a policy maker.”
◆ Semiconductor miracle can also be popping out of expertise
First of all, Park explains that the achievements of nationwide R&D shouldn’t be primarily based on papers or patents. The most necessary achievement of authorities R&D is the capability gathered for researchers and their folks, he stated. “This growing talent moves to companies and creates industrial competitiveness.” In different phrases, many of the R&D personnel in Korea’s main industries, together with semiconductors, have been educated by taking part in authorities R&D tasks in the course of the grasp’s and doctoral programs.
For this cause, he emphasizes that “excellence” and “strengthening the bottom” ought to go in a balanced approach when establishing scientific insurance policies. This is as a result of it isn’t doable to thicken the trade’s general expertise base by supporting solely a few top-level research. “Small and medium-sized companies account for 99% of companies and 88% of employment,” Professor Park stated, including, “In addition to strengthening the waist of the industry, it will also have the effect of supporting young people who have entered innovative startups.” In the transition interval of synthetic intelligence (AI), R&D help for small and medium-sized corporations can also be a job coverage. It can be utilized as an incubator for younger folks to realize expertise by growing jobs at small and medium-sized corporations.
Likewise, he stated that ‘regional R&D’ shouldn’t be considered as a easy balanced growth funds. There are glorious researchers exterior the metropolitan space, however it’s tough to totally reveal their capabilities as a result of lack of analysis gear, graduate college students, and collaboration networks. He stated, “The disciples I raised are also scattered in various parts of the country,” and identified, “They are having difficulty securing master’s and doctoral students in the laboratory.” There is a restrict to the strategy of individually supporting researchers scattered by one or two universities, and it’s believed that the buildup impact is created solely when grouped in massive areas such because the Gyeongbuk and Jeonnam areas.
◆ We must get rid of the division partition first
The ministry’s partition was additionally offered as a job to be overcome. He identified, “Like a whole village raising a child, all ministries should cooperate to develop innovative companies, but only ministries at the end of the policy are receiving attention.” Professor Park stated, “The success of launching the Nuri in 2022 is also the result of the accumulation that each government has grown for more than 20 years.” In different phrases, there was an “optical illusion” during which the title of the enterprise was partially modified as a result of change of the federal government, however regular funding was persevering with. Researchers additionally raised the problem of time being taken away from administrative duties as a power downside. Professor Park stated, “There are statistics that researchers spend 40% of their total research time on administrative work,” including, “It is contradictory for researchers to be buried in documents in the AI era.” “It is true that there have been some unconscionable researchers, but if there have been no similar incidents for several years, it is also necessary to consider a kind of credit incident that reduces regulations,” he instructed.
◆ Brain drain is a pure incidence
It is ordered that the view of expertise leakage must also change. Professor Park stated, “We are concerned about brain leakage in the toxic science and technology world,” including, “In the global era, the movement of talent is too natural.” He additionally identified that “if treatment improves, the problem is largely solved,” and that “treatment includes expectations for growth and capacity development within the organization.” However, he careworn that “there are many people who want to return to Korea after settling down to some extent,” and that a system tailor-made to the life cycle of researchers ought to be designed.
Finally, Professor Park requested the science and know-how group to present better encouragement. “In 1949, the first year of the establishment of the Korean government, Japan received its first Nobel Prize, and in 1969, when Korea’s first government-funded research institute appeared, the United States sent a man to the moon,” he stated. “It is a miracle that Korea has become a technology advanced country in such a short time.” He then stated, “Just as world-class companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were born in half a century, the Nobel Prize is only a matter of time.”
[Reporter Park Taeil / Photo by Reporter Kim Jaehoon]