The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISTEP have been carrying out an innovation challenge project since 2020 to create innovative results through challenging and leading research. In addition, both organizations are promoting innovative and challenging cross-ministerial R&D programs centered on a clear mission to preemptively solve difficult problems in the field of S&T related to people's happiness, quality of life, and creation of future leading industries. The sharing was held on February 20th at the El Tower Gold Hall to celebrate the 4th anniversary of its launch, where related officials and industry-academia-research-government experts gathered to share research results and seek future directions.

△ Seok-min Kwon, Director of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau of MSIT

Seok-min Kwon, Director of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau of MSIT, said, “I am truly pleased to have an opportunity to discuss the Innovation Challenge Project, which is celebrating its fifth year since its launch, and to announce the achievements so far.” “In an era of ever-intensifying competition for technological hegemony, the key to Korea’s continued development lies in taking on challenges without fear of failure and in ceaseless innovation in S&T,” he added.

“The Innovation Challenge Project started with the goal of establishing ourselves as a first mover pioneering a new path rather than a follower following the path established by leading countries. Through this, difficult and challenging research themes were discovered, and programs with goals that could lead national innovation were launched one after another. I believe that we will play a big role in establishing challenging R&D as a driving force for national development. We will focus our policy capabilities to ensure that innovative and challenging R&D programs are expanded and that a challenging R&D system and culture are established.”

“In line with the direction of the Innovation Challenge Project, R&D programs that aim to be the world's first and best are classified as Innovation-Challenge-type R&D, and we are helping researchers focus on research by expanding investment in funds and applying institutional special provisions. We hope that today’s event will not just be about sharing results, but will also be a valuable time to reflect on the meaning of challenge and innovation pursued by the Project.”

△ Byung-Seon Jeong, President of KISTEP

KISTEP President Byung-Seon Jeong said, “Amid fierce competition for technological hegemony, it is clear that innovative and challenging research is needed not only for individual researchers, but also for companies, countries, and the world.” “At such an important time, it is meaningful to have an opportunity to look back on the research results so far and discuss areas that need to be supplemented and strengthened,” he added. In addition, he said “We are now in a position to move forward as a global frontier, and companies must also secure profits through independent research results.” “I hope that today’s event will be an opportunity for insight, such as listening to the difficulties of project participants and reflecting on improvements,” he emphasized

President Jeong also said, “Through this sharing session, we will provide policy suggestions so that the system can be designed well, and we will support and strive to achieve the outcomes researchers aim for.” “We hope that the pilot research results will permeate throughout our country’s research system in the future, providing an opportunity for a new redesign of the Korean R&D innovation system,” he added. Lastly, he expressed his gratitude to those who spare no effort in advancing S&T in Korea.

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△ Yong-Jeong Kim, Director of the Korea Advanced Research Program Accelerator Team at KISTEP

Yong-Jeong Kim, Director of the Korea Advanced Research Program Accelerator Team at KISTEP, gave a presentation on the performance and future directions of the Innovation Challenge Project.

The Innovation Challenge Project, which discovered 20 themes and launched 5 research project teams (Quarantine Robot, Stratospheric Drone, Plasma, Molten Salt Reactor, Quantum Simulator) over 4 years, supported detailed planning and budget security from the discovery of research themes, and has made great efforts to lead the creation of a challenging R&D environment. Twenty research themes were selected over four years through the discovery of candidate research themes (approximately 800 cases), seminars (115 times), consultation with ministries, and deliberation by the promotion committee. The challenge and innovativeness of research themes were strengthened through feedback provided at seminars and review committees, and close support was provided to secure budgets for ministries for research themes for which planning was completed. Among these, budgets were secured for eight research themes.

Yong-Jeong Kim explained that the Innovation Challenge Project contributed to supporting research project operations and creating a culture for innovative and challenging research, and specified the areas for improvement revealed during the inspection of the progress of the pilot project group. He explained the details of the research so far as follows: Supporting innovation and challenge-oriented R&D and discovering demand for improvement, Presenting opinions to advance and revitalize innovation and challenge-oriented R&D to government ministries, Holding forums and meetings to collect opinions from stakeholders from various fields related to innovation and challenge-oriented R&D outside of ministries, Preparing a plan to establish a Korean-style DARPA, Preparing a plan to improve the operating environment and system to advance innovation challenge-oriented projects, and Preparing the concepts, types, and management plans for innovation and challenge-oriented R&D.

“We would strive to ensure that innovative and challenging R&D can take root stably by analyzing institutional and environmental limitations and making policy suggestions, such as establishing concepts and preparing standards for systematic support of innovative and challenging R&D,” he added.

△ Jonghwa Park from KISTEP, Sang Rok Oh (Quarantine Robot), Soohoon Oh (Stratospheric Drone), Younghoon Song (Plasma), Dong-hyeong Lee (Molten Salt Reactor), Jinhyung Lee (Quantum Simulator)

In the next session presided over by Jonghwa Park from KISTEP, presentations on research results and future directions were made in the order of the teams of Quarantine Robot, Stratospheric Drone, Plasma, Molten Salt Reactor, and Quantum Simulator.

△ Exhibition booths prepared by each research project team

△ Group photo