Science ministry selects 2,496 projects under restored basic-research program

The science ministry said it had selected 2,496 new individual basic-research projects for support beginning on Sept. 1, as it restores a program to widen opportunities for early-career researchers.

The selections carry 152 billion won ($110 million) in total funding. Of them, 2,366 basic-research projects support small, long-term studies by science and engineering faculty members and researchers at private institutes, including junior faculty and regional researchers. The ministry said the restoration lowers the entry barrier for early-career researchers and strengthens their research safety net.

The ministry had ended the basic-research program in 2024 before restoring and expanding it this year. Compared with 2023, average funding per project is about 10 percent higher at 55.9 million won ($40,461), while the maximum support period has increased to five years from three.

"Diversity in basic research is the starting point for opening new research fields and expanding interdisciplinary research," Kim Sung-soo, the ministry's research and development policy chief, said. "We will continue support to broaden diversity by expanding entry and growth opportunities for early-career researchers, while further strengthening the challenge and innovation of basic research."

The basic-research group comprises 1,460 Type B projects with 92.2 billion won ($66.8 million) and 906 Type A projects with 39.9 billion won ($28.9 million). The ministry will back 50 challenge-oriented projects with 4.7 billion won ($3.4 million) for work on new concepts, selected after an initial screening of preliminary proposals on originality and innovation. It will waive the one-person, one-project principle when studies are linked to existing or future research projects and manage research failures flexibly. Strategic research will fund 80 projects with 15.2 billion won ($11 million) to address national and social needs in areas including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, robots, genes and infectious diseases.