Korea Launches 2024 Basic Research Program with KRW 2.1179 Trillion in Funding — Up KRW 67.8 Billion from 2023

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), led by Minister Lee Jong-ho, announced that it has established the 2024 Basic Research Program Implementation Plan and will fully launch this year’s basic research programs with a total budget of KRW 2.1179 trillion, an increase of KRW 67.8 billion from 2023.

The 2024 Basic Research Program will focus on three key objectives: transforming basic research toward innovative R&D that challenges the world’s first and best, strengthening Global R&D through collaboration and competition with leading countries, and supporting outstanding young researchers so they can conduct research alongside world-class scientists and grow into the next generation of global research leaders.

The key measures for the 2024 Basic Research Program are as follows.

First, the basic research support system will be partially reorganized to promote innovative R&D aimed at achieving world-first and world-class breakthroughs.

Programs including Leader Research, Mid-Career Research (Global Track), Early-Career Research (Global Track), Basic Research Laboratories, and Leading Research Centers will be promoted as Global R&D initiatives, enabling researchers to collaborate freely and flexibly with world-class scientists and generate innovative outcomes.

A new Global Matching Program will also be introduced to support joint research in pre-agreed fields through reciprocal funding arrangements with designated overseas institutions.

• Global Matching Program: New in 2024, with a budget of KRW 6.25 billion; up to KRW 200 million per project annually for three years.

For Global R&D projects, researchers will be able to select from a broad range of international collaboration models tailored to the characteristics of individual programs and projects. The government plans to provide flexible guidelines so that Korean researchers can actively participate in the global research community.

• Types of international collaborative research may include participation by overseas researchers in Korean research teams, overseas dispatch of Korean researchers, invitations to or visiting research at international institutions, use of overseas research facilities and equipment, joint international conferences, seminars and workshops, personnel exchanges, and other collaboration models proposed by researchers according to project needs.

In addition to Global R&D, a new Creative Research Track will be introduced to support small-scale, high-quality research across diverse fields, including pure theoretical and conceptual research.

• Creative Research Track: New in 2024, with a budget of KRW 9.8 billion; up to KRW 70 million per project annually for one to three years.

Second, research funding and infrastructure support for young and talented researchers will be significantly strengthened.

To help early-career researchers develop into globally competitive scientists, the government will substantially expand support by increasing both the number of new projects and the maximum funding available, while also providing opportunities to participate in Global R&D.

The number of new Outstanding Early-Career Research projects will nearly double, from 400 in 2023 to 759 in 2024, while the maximum annual funding per project will increase from KRW 150 million to KRW 300 million.

Support for the Sejong Science Fellowship will also more than double in terms of new project opportunities, enabling postdoctoral researchers and non-tenure-track faculty to pursue ambitious research and develop into independent, highly capable scientists.

The program budget will increase from KRW 86.9 billion in 2023 to KRW 129.9 billion in 2024, while the number of newly supported projects will rise from 200 to 500.

In addition, the government has expanded the Long-Term Focused Research Program, designed to help outstanding young researchers grow into world-class scientists by pursuing ambitious research in a single field over an extended period. The program’s budget will increase from KRW 3 billion in 2023 to KRW 9 billion in 2024.

A new Early-Career Researcher Infrastructure Support Program will also be introduced to provide advanced research infrastructure, including facilities and equipment, enabling young researchers to focus on challenging research from the earliest stages of their careers.

• Early-Career Researcher Infrastructure Support Program: 2024 budget of KRW 60 billion; support for 200 new projects, with KRW 100–500 million per project for one year.

Third, the government will continue improving the research system to enhance R&D effectiveness.

The existing fiscal-year alignment system for basic research projects, under which projects typically began in March and ended in February, will be abolished. This will allow projects to be selected throughout the year, providing greater flexibility in identifying and supporting outstanding research proposals.

The government will also pilot a meta-evaluation system covering the overall evaluation process for basic research programs. This initiative will analyze issues and limitations in current evaluation procedures and support continued improvements to the research assessment system.

MSIT finalized the 2024 Basic Research Program Implementation Plan through the Basic Research Program Promotion Committee on December 29, 2023, and subsequently announced calls for new research projects for 2024.

Applications for new projects under MSIT’s Individual Basic Research Program will close between January 19 and February 2, 2024, while applications for Group Research Programs will be accepted through February 22 to March 6, 2024.

Following the selection and evaluation process, individual research projects are scheduled to begin on April 1 or May 1, while group research projects are scheduled to begin on August 1.

Detailed information on the 2024 calls for new basic research projects, application schedules, and implementation procedures is available on the websites of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).