In response to intensifying global technological competition and growing uncertainties, MOEF and MSIT hosted a forum to present the 2025 priority investment areas and key institutional reforms—and to gather direct input from the research community—recognizing that overcoming current crises through R&D and delivering tangible, citizen‑centered results requires a shift from the traditional fast‑follower strategy to a leading‑edge system.

The conference was hosted jointly by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF), led by Minister Sang‑mok Choi, and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), led by Minister Sang‑im Yoo, with logistics organized by the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), led by President Byung‑seon Jeong. The event took place on Wednesday, February 12, at the Grand Ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, drawing more than 500 researchers from universities, government‑funded institutes, and private companies.

△ Group photo

Dong‑il Kim, Director General of MOEF’s Budget Office, delivered welcome remarks, underscoring that in an era defined by “technological geopolitics,” it is time to transform the nation’s R&D strategy from “fast‑follower” to “leading and pioneering.” He introduced the CHAIN Strategy, a comprehensive framework designed to accelerate leading‑edge R&D:

• Collaborative Research: Establish joint research models

• High-Risk Research: Foster a bold, risk‑taking culture

• Advanced Tech: Secure core technologies for future industries

• Integrating Tech: Promote convergence across diverse fields

• Nurturing Talent: Develop highly skilled scientific and technical talent

He added, “Researchers are at the center of the challenges and innovations driving the shift to a leading‑edge R&D system,” and “The government will actively support efforts to expand research autonomy and creativity.”

△ Dong-il Kim, Director General of the Budget Office at MOEF, delivering a welcome address

In his opening remarks, Gwang‑jun Ryu, MSIT’s Vice Minister for Science, Technology & Innovation, highlighted “DeepSeek” as a recent breakthrough and outlined a sweeping transformation across policy, investment, and evaluation to establish a leading‑edge R&D system. He noted that over 70% of fast‑track projects will be executed in the first half of 2025 and emphasized enhanced communication to ensure R&D policies effectively support the scientific community.

△ Gwang-jun Ryu, Vice Minister for Science, Technology & Innovation at MSIT, delivering opening remarks

Byung‑seon Jeong, President of KISTEP, observed that this was the first joint conference by MOEF and MSIT—underscoring the critical importance of a leading‑edge R&D framework. He also noted that KISTEP is continuously exploring strategies to advance leading‑edge R&D, generate impactful outcomes, and ensure their broad dissemination. He pledged to ensure that today’s valuable insights translate into practical policy improvements.

△ Byung-seon Jeong, President of KISTEP, delivering opening remarks

During the subsequent “2025 R&D Budget and Core Projects” session, representatives from MOEF, MSIT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) presented the status of their respective leading-edge R&D initiatives, along with major programs and institutional reforms scheduled for 2025.

Yun-jin Kang, Director General for Economic Affairs Budget at MOEF, delivered a presentation on “2025 Leading-Edge R&D.” Citing former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s statement—“Show me a program with a 100 percent success rate, and I’ll show you one with 0 percent innovation.”—Kang stressed the need to expand strategic basic research, enhance corporate R&D outcomes, establish full-cycle support systems for biotechnology and deep-tech startups, and introduce research field–tailored institutional reforms.

Hyun-jun Kwon, Director of R&D Policy Bureau at MSIT, presented on “2025 Leading-Edge R&D Initiatives.” He detailed plans to restructure the support system for pioneering basic research, prioritize investments in innovative and high-risk projects, and pursue the enactment of the Act on the Promotion of International Cooperation in Science and Technology. “We will work closely with the Ministry of Economy and Finance to reorganize scattered, one-off industries and create new, mission-based, predictable projects,” Kwon emphasized.

Gyeong-hee Je, Director General for Industrial Technology Convergence Policy at MOTIE, presented the “2025 Industrial and Energy Investment Strategy.” She proposed restructuring the R&D program to be more outcome-focused, implementing processes driven by user (industry) needs, and creating stronger linkages with private-sector investment. In particular, she highlighted 45 “Super-Gap Projects” across 11 key areas and the Alchemist+ Project, which will officially launch in 2025, as central pillars for propelling Korea to the forefront of global industrial technology.

Eun-young Jeong, Director General of the Bureau of Health Industry at MOHW, presented on “Healthcare R&D Directions and the 2025 MOHW R&D Plan.” Acknowledging that leading economies invest over 20% of their R&D budget in healthcare—whereas Korea invests only 7%–10%—she underscored the need for mission-oriented and global R&D efforts to tackle pressing global challenges and protect the lives and health of citizens. She spotlighted flagship initiatives such as the ARPA-H project and the Boston Korea Project.

The conference concluded with dynamic panel discussions, including sessions moderated by Hyun-suk Cho, Director General of the R&D Investment Coordination Bureau at MSIT; Sang-yun Lee, Director General of the Performance Evaluation Policy Bureau at MSIT, leading the discussion on “Suggestions for R&D System Improvements Based on Research Field Experiences”; and Yong-soon Park, Director General for Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, who moderated the discussion on “Full-Cycle Commercialization Support Strategies for Deep-Tech Enterprises.”

△ scene of the conference