Korea environment ministry convenes second climate energy R&D investment council

The environment ministry said Friday it convened the second meeting of its climate and energy technology strategic planning and investment council, bringing public and private experts together to shape the direction of the government's 2028 research and development spending.

Vice Minister Lee Ho-hyun chaired the one-hour session at the HJ Business Center in Jongno District, Seoul, attended by the ministry's green transition policy director, relevant bureau directors, five appointed private members and the president of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning.

The council, which held its first meeting in July, is a public-private body that deliberates and coordinates the basic direction of technology development projects in the climate and energy field, along with their planning, evaluation, management and investment adjustment. The vice minister serves as its chair, while ministry policy officials and the head of the energy technology evaluation institute sit as ex officio members.

The five appointed private members are Kim Hyun-je, president of the Korea Energy Economics Institute; Sohn Jung-rak, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Yoon Eui-joon, president of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea; Yoon Ji-woong, president of the Science and Technology Policy Institute; and Cho Young-jun, president of the sustainable management institute at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The meeting addressed the 2028 investment direction for climate and energy R&D, a document prepared to feed into the national research and development investment direction and standards that the science ministry plans to complete by March next year. It sets out what should be considered when planning new projects, based on the fifth energy technology development plan and the energy technology diffusion strategy roadmap.

The council also discussed plans for a long-term climate and energy technology advisory committee, intended to forecast the outlook 10 to 20 years out and propose long-term technology development directions. The committee will be co-chaired by the ministry's green transition policy director and a private expert, and will operate through a working group covering future outlook, clean power, heat and fuel transition, and future grids.

Projects identified by the advisory committee are to be reported back to the council and reflected in the government's investment direction.

"Climate and energy R&D projects are a core means of supporting the implementation of government policy and the cultivation of future industries with technology," Lee said. "Through the council, we will examine policy alignment together with technology and market prospects to make investment priorities clear, and over the long term further strengthen strategic focus and innovation."