20 Years of Korea–China–Japan S&T Policy Cooperation: Exploring a Shared Vision for the Next 20 Years

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) hosted the 20th Trilateral Science and Technology Policy Seminar on November 11–12 at The Westin Josun Seoul. The seminar was convened amid accelerating, interconnected challenges—including intensifying global competition for technological leadership, the climate crisis, and digital transformation. It provided an opportunity for Korea, China, and Japan to review the achievements of the past two decades of cooperation in science and technology policy and to explore a shared vision for the next 20 years.

Other participating organizations included the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED), the Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASISD), and Japan’s National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP).

Under the theme “Building Tomorrow through Trilateral STI Cooperation under the Transformative Era,” about 50 researchers and experts attended. The program comprised six sessions plus a 20th‑anniversary special session, covering:

▪ Policy analysis grounded in research data and the development of innovation indicators

▪ Advancing policy‑impact evaluation systems

▪ Strategies for cultivating and exchanging S&T talent

▪ Responses to emerging technologies—AI, quantum, biotechnology—and the digital transition

▪ Sustainable‑development strategies via climate change and the energy transition

▪ Innovation governance for a future‑ready society

Taeseok OH, President of KISTEP

In his remarks, KISTEP President Taeseok OH underscored that S&T innovation remains a core pillar of sustainable growth even amid global polycrises, emphasizing data‑driven policy and a researcher‑centric R&D ecosystem. He stressed the need to maintain policy consistency and set long‑term innovation direction despite short policy cycles.

President OH outlined KISTEP’s key roles, including formulating the national science and technology (S&T) strategy, planning the R&D budget, evaluating government research programs, and analyzing policy data. He noted that KISTEP has recently been strengthening data‑driven policymaking through efforts such as integrating talent datasets, analyzing workforce demand by strategic‑technology field, and drafting a performance‑oriented Basic (Framework) Plan for Science and Technology.

He also emphasized that, alongside the government’s planned expansion of the S&T budget (a 20% increase slated for 2025), Korea should increase investment in basic science, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies, and build a more creative research environment that safeguards researchers’ “freedom to fail.” Finally, he added that KISTEP will expand cooperation with major policy research institutes—including counterparts in Korea, China, and Japan—and with international organizations in order to deepen policy exchanges.

The 20th‑anniversary special session reviewed the trajectory of trilateral cooperation across the 20 sessions held since the inaugural meeting in 2006, and discussed ways to strengthen trilateral governance to respond to the interlocking crises of climate change, technology‑primacy competition, and the digital transition.

Participants agreed on the need to deepen practical cooperation—including policy‑data sharing, talent circulation, and expanded joint research—building on two decades of trust and networks. The three countries reaffirmed the ongoing need for cooperation in S&T policy research and the importance of joint responses, and agreed to strengthen their regular trilateral cooperation mechanism while further expanding joint research and the exchange of policy information.

Group Photo