[Basic Research Association R&D Policy Forum]n Domestic University Competitiveness Stalled for 20 Yearsn There is nobody to examine when a graduate pupil goes out.n New lecturers cannot even make a lab.n “Government block funding support is essential.”
![The Basic Research Association held a forum at the National Assembly on the 9th and said, "The government needs block funding support for domestic university research competitiveness." Participants such as Kim Joo-han, vice president of Seoul National University, Koo Hyuk-chae, first vice minister of science and technology information and information, Choi Eun-young, chairman of the Korea Basic Research Association, Hwang Jung-ah, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Hyang-sook, president of Ewha Womans University (from the left of the first row) are taking commemorative photos. [Basic Research Association]](https://wimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202512/09/news-p.v1.20251209.5215942df1e64cc8b3b6b9352d01fe93_P1.jpg)
The research competitiveness of Korean universities continues to decline. Academia argues that this is as a result of the research of college professors can’t escape the extent of “self-employment” at a time when each cash and manpower are scarce.
In order to remedy this drawback, it was prompt that the federal government ought to change the irregular research manpower construction, similar to offering block funding budgets to universities and hiring full-time researchers by universities autonomously.
The Basic Research Association held a discussion board titled “Korea Research Personnel Ecosystem Structural Innovation” on the National Assembly on the ninth and argued that “the structure of research personnel should be changed, such as having full-time researchers at universities for Korea’s science and technology competitiveness.” The discussion board was attended by Koo Hyuk-chae, the primary vice minister of science and know-how data and communication, and Hwang Jung-ah, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Although technological competitors amongst main nations is fierce, home universities’ research competitiveness is stagnating or declining. Of the highest 100 establishments within the Nature Index, just one home college is KAIST (78th), and no home college is within the high 50.
Excluding the earlier authorities’s R&D price range cuts, home research bills proceed to improve, however the quantity of SCI-level papers has stagnated over the previous 20 years. There are additionally no winners of the Lasker Prize and the Turing Prize, that are generally known as the preliminary gateway to the Nobel Prize.
This is as a result of a big half of the research relies upon solely on graduate college students due to a scarcity of research personnel. Cha Sun-shin, a professor of chemical nanoscience at Ewha Womans University, stated, “In Korea, even if we train PhDs, we do not have a system that allows us to hire PhDs in universities,” including, “We need a system that allows universities to have PhDs as full-time researchers.”
Full-time researchers refer to those that can stably take cost of research as well as to postdoctoral researchers. Major abroad nations typically have two or three full-time researchers in research labs run by professors. They design their very own experiments and lead the research.
On the opposite hand, the quantity of full-time researchers in universities per 1,000 individuals in Korea is 0.96, far lower than France (1.41), Germany (1.48), and Japan (1.1). Professor Cha stated, “In order for Korea’s research competitiveness to reach the international level, at least 10,000 additional full-time researchers are needed.”
Most laboratories in Korea are centered on graduate college students on the degree of grasp’s packages. When they graduate and go away the lab, they lose their pulse. Jeong Seon-ju, a professor of molecular biology at Dankook University, stated, “The research does not continue because students repeatedly go out when they teach,” including, “We need a dedicated workforce to focus on research in the long run.”
Another drawback is that the research surroundings of new lecturers is poor due to the shortage of preliminary research funding from universities. Usually, it is crucial for researchers to actively examine and implement concepts for 5 years after appointment, however most of the brand new lecturers in Korea are in a troublesome scenario to have a correct laboratory.
Research-oriented universities within the United States present preliminary assist of round 2 billion gained to new lecturers, however in Korea, the utmost is 500 million gained. Most universities present preliminary settlements of lower than 100 million gained, which is way from sufficient to rent human sources or purchase vital research tools.
The Federation of Basic Research cited the block funding price range instead, which offers a specific amount of cash for every college. Now, the federal government helps particular person researchers as research tasks, however it’s higher for universities to present full-time researchers or preliminary research assist with a given price range.
Professor Cha stated, “If universities create their own systems based on block funding, they will be able to expand universal research infrastructure while maintaining research continuity.”