Science ministry moves to set sector-by-sector plans for seven frontier technologies

The science ministry said Thursday it convened a meeting with the presidential office and other government departments to begin drawing up sector-by-sector implementation strategies for a state project to nurture seven frontier technologies as future growth engines, with the aim of finalizing the plans by the end of the year.

The project, known as the 7 SEED program, targets small modular reactors, nuclear fusion, renewable energy, quantum technology, aerospace, advanced biotechnology and advanced supply chains, the Ministry of Science and ICT said in a statement.

Thursday's meeting focused on specifying core missions and performance targets for each technology field and on linking them to government research and development spending and support for demonstration and commercialization. Participants also discussed how to marshal policy tools across ministries, including regulatory and institutional changes.

The government laid out the direction of the program at a briefing presided over by the president in August, and set up a cross-ministerial promotion system and a framework for drafting the sector plans at a meeting of science and technology ministers in September.

"The 7 SEED project is a national joint mission to secure core strategic assets and next-generation growth engines by bringing together government investment and the private sector's commercialization capacity," Park In-kyu, head of the ministry's science and technology innovation office, said in the statement.

Park urged each ministry to clearly define its missions and performance targets and to work together on implementation strategies that can be carried out. He also said the government would actively use available policy measures, including priority budget allocations, links to commercialization and the removal of regulatory and licensing hurdles.

The ministry said it plans to draw up the sector-by-sector implementation strategies with relevant ministries within the year based on the discussions at Thursday's meeting, and to keep checking progress and major issues as the project proceeds.