Government Increases Backing of Basic Science Research

Plans to raise its portion of R&D investments in basic science from 25.6 percent of its total R&D outlays in 2008 to 50 percent in 2012

The following are excerpts of an interview between NewsWorld and Park Chan-mo, the special adviser to the president for science and technology, which touched on the overall policies for the Korean science and technology fields. He also serves as co-chairman of the Founding Committee of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology to be open this fall in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Question: As a seasoned scientist, will you tell our readers the status of the Korean science and technology system and its problems?
Answer: In the past, Korea has laid too much weight on applications for rapid development, but has neglected basic science.
Upon its inauguration, the Lee Myung-bak government decided to raise its R&D outlays to up to 5 percent of the nation's GDP by 2012. In particular, half of the government sector's investments will be set aside for work on basic and fundamental research.
In accordance with the MB 577 Initiative, established as the national science and technology development master plan, the new government strives to create new convergence industries as emerging growth engines and do the utmost to push for low-carbon, green growth initiatives. The science and technology consultation council on green growth has been formed to encourage science and technology circles to participate in green growth initiatives.
One of the problems facing Korean science and technology circles is that Korean scientists' papers published in the SCI (Science Citation Index) journals are excellent in terms of quantity but lags behind in terms of quality such as the number of times being cited by others. College hopefuls still avoid applying to science and engineering departments, particularly in the software field. I hope that a new special adviser to the president for IT to be appointed soon will fix these problems to some extent. There is also a lower representation of scientists and technology experts in the government, the Office of the President and the National Assembly.
Q: What are your responsibilities as adviser to the president for science and technology?
A: I play a role in working out the president's tenets in the science and technology field and the new government's national science and technology master plan.
One of my jobs is to help the media and the science and technology circles get a better understanding of such policies in the MB 577 Initiative, emerging growth engines, green technology and convergence technology through various channels, including meetings, lectures and seminars in which I participate.
I have face-to-face and special adviser's group meetings with the president to report on pending issues in the science and technology circles and convey their suggestions and opinions.
In short I strive to play a bridge between the president and the science and technology circles, for example by arranging a meeting between the president and elderly scientists and engineers so they can hold consultations.
Q: Will you tell us about government-invested research institutes' roles in national R&D and the consolidation and elimination of research institutes?
A: In 2008, 31 percent of the government's R&D outlay of approximately 11 trillion won was disbursed to government-financed research institutes, which are primarily responsible for work related to basic and fundamental research as well as applied technology for commercialization.
One of the public pledges President Lee Myung-bak made during his presidential election campaign is to grant scientists and engineers autonomy and encourage creativity, so the president promised the government's provision of support with a minimum of interference as well as resolving the problems involving the project-based system (PBS).
The government plans to improve researchers' compensation by introducing a pension system so that scientists and engineers can pride themselves on their work.
I believe it is more desirable for research institutes to be restructured on their own rather than arbitrarily consolidating or eliminating them and to make them adopt open system with a global competitive edge to ramp up a linkage among research institutes or between research institutes and academia. It is necessary to readjust the sharing of their roles according to national science and technology policies and to ramp up their international competitiveness by bringing in talented manpower from abroad.
Q: Will you elaborate on the government's concern and its investments in the basic science fields?
A: As I mentioned above, the current government, recognizing the significance of the basic science sector, has decided to make dramatic investments. It plans to raise its portion of R&D investments in basic science and fundamental research from 25.6 percent of its total R&D outlays in 2008 to 50 percent in 2012. University faculty will see their research funding beneficiary rate surging from 25.7 percent in 2006 to 60 percent in 2012 while individual researchers' research money will be raised from 368.9 billion won in 2008 to 1.5 trillion won in 2012.
Q: Will you tell us about the government's medium and long-range strategies on national R&D outlays versus GNP?
A: With regard to the basic direction of nurturing emerging growth engines, the new government has factored in spill-over effects, connectivity with green growth and a time concept to take it into account in the short-, mid- and long-term perspectives.
In the short-term category will be areas with a high degree of maturity in which added values can be created in a short period of time. The mid-term category will involve fields in which new markets can be created on the basis of the development of fundamental technology. Areas that are in initial stages in markets, but with greater future potential, fall into the long-term category.
The government has a strategy of selection and concentration to focus on fields in which new markets badly needed to be created.
Q: Will you explain the government's steps to nurture talented manpower in the science and technology sector and attract excellent manpower from abroad?
A: The government revised its roadmap on the development and support of science and engineering manpower in accordance with the science and technology master plan, MB 577 Initiative approved on Aug. 12, 2008, and it plans to reflect the amendment into the 2009 action plan.
It has determined how to implement projects and their direction with a focus on areas related to its pending policies.
Korea places at the top in terms of the proportion of the graduates with bachelor of sciences and engineers degrees among the OECD countries, but lags behind advanced countries in terms of doctoral degrees. Although the number of B.S. degree graduates is high, their quality is still in problem.
The government has set five mid- and long-term targets under the catchphrase of "realizing a vision of evolving into a science and technology manpower powerhouse toward becoming a leading nation" as well as five core implementation tasks in five areas ― revamping the education system of engineering colleges and universities, the nurturing of core research manpower, promoting international exchanges of excellent manpower, developing manpower tailored to meet clients' demands and expanding infrastructure for nurturing and utilizing science and engineering manpower.
The Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MEST) has put the World Class University Program in place to attract world-renowned manpower from abroad. It poured 167 billion won into the program in 2008. nw

Dr. Park Chan-mo, the special adviser to the president for science and technology

Park in an interview with NewsWorld President-Publisher Elizabeth M. Oh.

Park looks around the 2009 Seoul Nuclear Industry Exhibition after giving a commemorative speech on behalf of President Lee Myung-bak at the 24th Korea Atomic Industrial Forum/Korean Nuclear Society Annual Meeting held at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel last month.