Science ministry unveils R&D rule overhaul at researcher forum

The science ministry said Tuesday it held a briefing on its 2026 administrative reform plan for national research and development, presenting a package of changes to how projects are evaluated and how researchers are paid.

The plan, approved at an Aug. 26 deliberative meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, centers on shifting project evaluation toward a challenge-driven model that strengthens the selection and support of promising work. The session was meant to explain the plan directly to researchers and gather their feedback.

Under the reforms, a per-person cap will be introduced on research allowances to prevent the concentration of such payments in large-scale projects. The plan also introduces a "moving target" system that would let researchers revise project goals quickly, and raises the threshold for sole-source contracting of research facilities and equipment.

After the presentations, researchers questioned officials on the intent and expected effects of the changes, particularly the revised allowance standards.

"These reforms are meant to create a research environment where researchers take bold risks on the basis of autonomy and where every participating researcher is treated more fairly," said Hong Soon-jeong, director-general of the ministry's performance evaluation policy bureau. "We will carry out follow-up measures without disruption so the system takes hold in the field."