On Monday, March 17, the Science and Technology Policy Institute held the “Geumgang Riverside Environmental Spring Cleanup” to protect the environment, including the water quality of the Geumgang River.

The cleanup was undertaken by think tanks affiliated with the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, who gathered together to fulfill their social responsibility as a national research institute and contribute to the local community.

On the day, about 50 STEPI employees participated and worked up a sweat cleaning up the environment by picking up trash on the Geumgang Riverside trail and surrounding areas which are enjoyed by citizens of Sejong.

On March 12 (Wed) and 13 (Thu), the Science and Technology Policy Institute held a seminar in Jakarta, Indonesia as part of the “2025 K-Innovation Partnership Program” on “Sharing Experiences of Korea’s R&D Support Policy and Strengthening the Capability of Indonesian Policy Experts.”

The seminar was attended by approximately 100 officials from the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), a partner organization, to share Korea’s experience of science and technology innovation policy and discuss the current status and future direction of developing Indonesia’s R&D funding and infrastructure support policy guidelines.

In addition, during the “Policy School,” held at the special request of the National Research Innovation Agency, which is promoting the introduction of a technology forecasting policy, former Honorary Research Fellow Deok-sun Lim gave a presentation on the topic of “Technology Forecasting: Concepts and Application” and introduced Korea’s technology forecasting policy and experience of its implementation, as well as leading a discussion on methods of applying it in Indonesia.

On March 6 (Thu) at 2:00 PM, the Science and Technology Policy Institute held the 462nd STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum under the theme of “A New Paradigm for Nurturing Science and Technology Talents” in Conference Room 2 of the ST Convention Center.

This forum, which kicked off with an opening address by President Ji-woong Yoon of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, was organized to seek a new paradigm for nurturing science and technology talents in Korea through structural innovation of domestic science and engineering graduate schools and international cooperation.

In his opening address, President Yoon said, “Through various research activities, STEPI has consistently emphasized the importance of nurturing science and technology talents and related policy proposals,” and emphasized, “A national consensus has been formed on the importance of nurturing talents, as both experts and the general public consider it a national priority to secure national competitiveness.”

Along with this, he said, “The qualitative and quantitative mismatch in the supply and demand of science and technology personnel is getting worse, so it is a key moment to find a way to respond to this,” and added, “I hope that at today’s forum, we will find a way to maximize the effect of fostering science and technology talent through innovation plans for science and engineering graduate schools and strategic utilization plans for ODA (Official Development Assistance).”

Senior Research Fellow Ki-beom Park (STEPI), who gave the first presentation at the forum titled “Plans to innovate science and engineering graduate schools for a paradigm shift in the fostering of science and technology talent,” analyzed the lack of quality research and development jobs as the core cause of career concerns and preference for medicine and pharmacy among science and engineering undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and emphasized that if current trends continue, by 2040 only about 20 universities will be able to secure graduate students.

In particular, he diagnosed that there has been an oversupply of science and technology talents overall, but that top-tier talents are lacking in the fields where they are most needed due to the gap with social demand, and suggested the need to promote R&D policies and policies in other sectors by prioritizing nurturing and utilizing science and technology talents rather than considering them as a means.

Research Fellow 

Ji-hyun Kim (STEPI), who gave the second presentation titled “Strategic utilization plan for ODA for nurturing and exchanging the science and technology talents” introduced the current status of ODA utilization for nurturing and exchanging excellent talents in major countries, along with the direction of program planning for Korea’s ODA (Official Development Assistance) vis-a-vis attracting science and technology talents.

She said that although scholarships for international students from developing countries account for a large portion of Korea’s ODA in terms of talent-related sectors, there is a lack of connection between nurturing, exchanging, and utilizing talents. She also introduced major countries’ ODA programs related to talents, such as Japan, which provides various funding programs from master’s and doctoral programs to internships, and Austria, which operates a scholarship program based on university-local university partnerships.

Accordingly, through a program from the perspective of performance exchange through strategic ODA utilization, we proposed a plan to ▲ develop talents from partner countries into key domestic science and technology personnel by educating them in Korea, and ▲ reorganize the science and technology human resource ecosystem from talent training to joint research by reorganizing it into an integrated higher education ODA project centered on key domestic universities.

In a panel discussion moderated by Vice President 

Su-kyung Park of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, Team Leader Seung-yun Lee (

Science and Technology Innovation Foundation Team, Ministry of Science and ICT), Professor Young-joon Lee (Cheju Halla University), Dean of Office of Relations Seung-yoon Oh (UST), and Director Jun-yeong Ryu (Korea Science Journalists Association, Money Today) participated to share the structural limitations of the domestic talent training system and the problem of human resource supply and demand and discuss effective ways to vitalize the training of science and technology talent.

2025 AOIP Seminar

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) participated in the “2025 ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific Seminar (hereafter AOIP Seminar)” held in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 13, 2025, at the invitation of the organizer.

The AOIP, a strategic framework for ASEAN to play a key role in the Indo-Pacific region, was discussed at this seminar, focusing on the activities of the ASEAN Submarine Cable Working Group (WG-SC), governance of international submarine cables, the role of governments, industry perspectives, resilience, and regional cooperation. In particular, this was the first discussion of submarine cable policy in the ASEAN region, and the activities of the ASEAN Submarine Cable Working Group (WG-SC) were also discussed on an official basis for the first time.

In his keynote speech, associate research fellow Won-seon Cho (STEPI), who participated in the seminar, proposed a strategic direction for ASEAN digital infrastructure in the form of strategic desecuritization, based on a study on the competitiveness of the submarine cable industry, and a cooperative model based on it.

In addition, based on the results of related policy research conducted by STEPI, such as “Strengthening Digital Infrastructure Resilience from a Technology Security Perspective: Focusing on the Case of Submarine Cables,” he presented a strategic direction for ASEAN digital infrastructure along with an analysis of the competitiveness of the submarine cable industry.

Noting that technological connectivity and security connectivity are being strengthened simultaneously, he said that the intensifying strategic competition between the US and China and the AI-based digital transformation are further highlighting the strategic value of data and the importance of submarine cables.

He also warned against falling into the trap of excessive securitization logic in discussions on submarine cable network cooperation, saying that submarine cable networks are not just simple infrastructure but also a key element of national security and geopolitical risks, and that discussions on “securitization” are spreading accordingly.

To solve this problem, associate research fellow Cho suggested the following alternatives: ▲Building independent digital infrastructure through strengthening technological capabilities and regional cooperation, and strengthening the logic of strategic desecuritization ▲Activating a business-centered cooperation model by minimizing security logic ▲Building a platform and system that can lead the joint role of future digital infrastructure ▲Establishing a systematic public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Meanwhile, at the “2025 AOIP Summit Seminar” held with the attendance of East Asia Summit (EAS) member countries and ASEAN country representatives, as well as national security and economic officials, STEPI announced its plan to conduct policy research in cooperation with ASEAN and major international partners to strengthen the sustainable development and global competitiveness of digital network infrastructure centered on submarine cables, which are the core of the data supply chain.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) participated in the “AI Action Summit” co-hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Datasphere Initiative, which was held at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris on February 10 (Mon)–11 (Tue), 2025.

This meeting, which STEPI attended at the invitation of the organizers, involved in-depth discussions on five topics, and STEPI participated in the discussions for the session “Advancing Global AI Governance: Exploring the Role of Adaptive Frameworks and Regulatory Sandboxes” as part of the Global AI Governance topic. 

Research fellow Hae-ok Choi (STEPI), who participated in the discussion, said that out of the 1,403 regulatory sandbox projects approved in Korea, 46 are for AI-related projects, and that it is time to discuss whether to establish a separate AI sandbox in Korea or to continue to operate it within the existing system.

In addition, she emphasized that based on the research results conducted by STEPI, a system transformation through regulatory innovation to a risk-based regulatory system is essential for implementing an AI sandbox.

Moreover, she introduced four major mechanisms to realize this and four challenges to overcome in the future, and presented policy directions for the development of AI governance.

Research fellow Hae-ok Choi presented four key tasks for the effective operation of an AI sandbox: ▲ Support for rapid relaxation of AI regulations through amendments to complex pre-approval procedures ▲ Expansion of the innovation ecosystem to encourage the participation of SMEs and startups ▲ Establishment of a consultation system among various stakeholders at an early stage for smooth communication ▲ Institutionalization for safety verification.

At this “AI Action Summit,” STEPI shared the need for global cooperation between AI governance and regulatory sandboxes, and announced plans to continue to promote policy research related to the reliability and safety of AI through ongoing cooperation with international society.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2025 kick-off ceremnoy as a Zoom meeting at 10 a.m. on January 2, 2025 (Thur.) in the conference room on the 6th floor with all employees in attendance.

This year’s ceremony included an appointment ceremony for changes to key personnel positions following an internal reorganization.

In his New Year’s address, Ji-woong Yoon, President of the Science and Technology Policy Institute spoke of the importance of STEPI’s role in overcoming various nationwide problems and crises through science and technology innovation and discovering and presenting new growth momentum.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 461st STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 18 at Mid-Century Room of Le Merdien in Myeong-dong, Seoul under the subject of “Promotion of International Joint Research through Horizon Europe.”

Starting with an opening speech by president Ji-Woong Yoon of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, this forum was organized to maximize the effect of participation in the “Horizon Europe Pillar 2 sector,” which the negotiations for accession as an associate member were concluded in March, and to explore ways to cooperate in international joint research in the field of science and technology.

In his opening remarks, Ji-woong Yoon, STEPI president said, “Through various research activities and science and technology policy forums, STEPI has consistently emphasized the importance of international joint research and international cooperation in science and technology,” and added, “The participation as an associate member country in Horizon Europe Pillar 2 starting next year is the result of those efforts, and it is an opportunity to strengthen our country’s diplomatic leverage and enhance our national competitiveness.”

Research fellow Myeong-hwa Lee (STEPI), who gave the keynote speech at this forum, gave a presentation titled “Measures to Activate International Joint Research through Horizon Europe” in which she reviewed the meaning of international cooperation from a macroscopic perspective along with institutional issues that could hinder active participation in Horizon Europe which starts in 2025, and also proposed measures to facilitate international joint research.

Horizon Europe, which will invest a total of 95.5 billion euros (approximately 140 trillion won) from 2021 to 2027, is the world's largest multilateral research and innovation project, and Korea announced that it would directly plan or participate in projects in Pillar 2, which will see investment of the largest amount of research funds (approximately 80 trillion won) among all Horizon Europe projects.

In addition, in order to analyze the support policies of major countries participating in Horizon Europe and to identify problems and improvement measures for domestic support systems related to Horizon Europe, a survey of 732 domestic researchers was conducted to propose support strategies and means to maximize the effect of participation in Horizon Europe.

In addition, Horizon Europe encompasses not only science and technology but also the economic and social fields, and since corporate participation is important, emphasis was placed on the “establishment of a full-cycle support system across ministries”, as well as suggestions regarding ▲reestablishing the role of the NCP and reorganizing the system ▲strengthening the management capacity of Horizon Europe support personnel ▲supporting networking between domestic and international researchers.

During the panel discussion chaired by senior research fellow Chi-woong Song (STEPI), principal researcher Hyeong-ha Kim (Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science), director Seok-chun Park (Ministry of Science and ICT), managing director Soon-rye Lee (Cefobio Inc.), and professor Tae-hyun Yoon (Hanyang University) participated to discuss ways to maximize the effect of joining Horizon Europe as an associate member and to actively facilitate effective international joint research through sharing experiences in international joint research.

At 2 p.m. on December 17 (Tuesday), the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), in collaboration with the Korean Society for Regulatory Studies (President: Jun-seok Yang), held the “2024 Technology Regulation Policy Research Conference” on the topic of “Seeking a Transition to a Risk-Based Regulatory System” through online and offline in the medium conference room on the 5th floor of the STEPI main building.

After kicking off with opening remarks by STEPI president Ji-woong Yoon and welcoming remarks by president Jun-seok Yang of the Korean Society for Regulatory Studies, the event was divided into two sessions: ▲Overview of Digital Transformation Regulations and Selected Case Studies and ▲A Risk-Based Regulatory System. The event discussed the direction of regulatory system innovation and practical policy solutions in response to digital transformation and shared opinions with experts.

In his opening remarks, Ji-woong Yoon, STEPI president said, “As the global competition for technological hegemony and digital transformation accelerate, the need for regulatory innovation is more urgent than ever,” and added, “I hope that this conference will present a plan to transition to a risk-based regulatory system that will secure future technological competitiveness and reduce corporate burden.”

In his welcoming speech, Jun-seok Yang, the president of the Korean Society for Regulatory Studies, said, “I hope that this conference will contribute to seeking regulatory innovation and establishing future-oriented policies even amid rapid changes in technology and industry.” He added, “I hope that discussions like these will continue to be held in the future so that the government and the private sector can lead regulatory innovation together.”

When the forum began in earnest, first, associate research fellow Gwon-il Kim (STEPI) presented implications derived from an analysis of entry regulations in laws related to digital transformation, such as types of entry regulations by industry sector and ministry, under the title of “Results of Analysis and Implications of Laws and Systems Related to Digital Transformation,” and proposed relevant potential regulatory improvements.

The second presentation was by research fellow Seung-hyeon Kim (STEPI), who introduced major regulations and risks caused by digital transformation through an analysis of case studies on digital technology such as “Logistics Service Robots,” “Virtual Education and Training,” and “Digital Therapeutics” under the title of “Results of Case Study Analysis and Risk Assessment and Implications Thereon.”

Lastly, senior research fellow Gwang-ho Lee (STEPI) gave a presentation entitled “Policy Recommendations for Establishing a Risk-Based Regulatory System” on the design of a risk-based regulatory system structure based on the analysis of the current status of regulations related to digital transformation, and the related burdens, responses, and awareness of key risks for 330 companies in the same three fields.

During the panel discussion chaired by president Jun-seok Yang, the president of the Korean Society for Regulatory Studies, professors Min-chang Lee (Chosun University), Hye-young Lee (Kwangwoon University), Hyeok-woo Lee (Paichai University), and research fellow Yong-hyeon Yang (KDI) participated in a discussion of ways to transform the regulatory system into a risk-based system.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) entered into a business agreement (MOU) at 10 a.m. on December 12 (Thursday) in the situation room on the 3rd floor of the Sejong City Office of Education, with the Sejong City Office of Education regarding the “Operation of the Institution-Linked Evergreen Program".

This MOU was drawn up to facilitate cooperation with six national research institutes, including the Science and Technology Policy Institute, in developing and operating the "Always Spring School" program for 1st and 2nd grade elementary school students starting in 2025.

In the future, the seven institutions, including the Science and Technology Policy Institute, will establish a program to operate the Always Spring Program in Sejong, such as by establishing a human resource pool, having each institution promote Evergreen programs, and supporting matching with desired schools, as well as cooperating overall in providing high-quality Always Spring programs.

In addition, the six national research institutes, including the Science and Technology Policy Institute, agreed to utilize their respective expertise to develop a linked Always Spring program between the office of education and the national research institutes and continuously seek out new areas of cooperation to increase the trust in the public education system.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) entered into a business agreement (MOU) at 9:30 a.m. on December 12 (Thursday) at (Australian local time), with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) at ASPI to establish a policy research cooperation network between think tanks.

The two organizations agreed to join forces for mutual development by participating in the "Global Intelligence Network Formation Project" proposed by STEPI for the purpose of establishing a network for global think tanks, as well as sharing security data related to science and technology, and promoting joint policy research related to strategic technology.

According to this agreement, the two organizations will cooperate on ▲economic security ▲strategic technology-related policies ▲space policies, etc. for the purpose of contributing to mutually beneficial cooperative relationships and the development of innovation capabilities in science and technology policy research, and will collaborate on activities such as knowledge sharing, strengthening joint research projects, expanding the base of demand for science and technology policies related to foreign affairs and national security, as well as encouraging cooperation between experts from both organizations, and the sharing of useful data.

Ji-woong Yoon, the president of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, said, “In order to respond to the rapidly changing global situation, strategic cooperation between national-level policy think tanks in areas such as research and development, industry, and human resources is essential.” He added, “I hope that this agreement will produce results in advanced national strategic support in the field of international cooperation in science and technology policy, which has recently become increasingly important.”

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the “2024 STEPI Future Conference” at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4 at the Harmony Hall of the Nine Tree Premier Rokaus Hotel in Yongsan, Seoul, under the subject of “Speaking of the Future of Future Research in the Era of Global Uncertainty.”

Starting with the opening remarks by STEPI president Ji-woong Yoon, the conference was divided into three sessions: ▲Future and Uncertainty, ▲Future Knowledge and Research Ecosystem, ▲Links between Future Research and Policy, and discussed ways to advance future research to respond to increasing global uncertainty and ways to improve linkages with policy.

In his video opening remarks given via video, Ji-woong Yoon, STEPI president, emphasized that “the complexity and uncertainty of our society are increasing, and as a result, we are facing various new challenges.” He emphasized that this is a time when the importance of future predictions to respond to global uncertainty is being highlighted.

In the first session of the conference, which was in full swing, Byeong-won Park, a senior research fellow (STEPI), gave the first keynote speech titled “Uncertainties and Future Challenges Facing Korea: Crisis and Opportunity,” introducing the problems that our society must overcome and ways to secure sustainability.

Jeong-seop Yoon, the head of the Office of Future Innovation Research (STEPI), gave the second keynote speech titled “20 Years of Science and Technology-Based Future Research at the Science and Technology Policy Institute: Achievements and Evaluation,” and reviewed the future research that STEPI has conducted so far for “Future Research Centered on Future Science and Technology Discovery and Development Strategy,” while suggesting the direction that future research should take in the future. 

In the second session that followed, Chun-sik Woo, a former senior research fellow (Korea Development Institute), presented tasks for strengthening the future research capacity of national research institutes titled “Foresight-based mid- to long-term policy research at national research institutes: Current status and diagnosis.”

The second presentation was given by research fellow Seong-won Park (National Assembly Futures Research Institute) under the topic of "Discussion of mid- to long-term issues in the National Assembly: Role and limitations of the National Assembly Futures Research Institute", introducing the future outlook of the National Assembly Future Research Institute and the process of deriving realization strategies. 

Lastly, under the title of "Foresight education and research in universities: Current status, diagnosis, and development direction", professor Yong-seok Seo (KAIST) proposed a future development direction that emphasized the demand for and factors increasing value of futures research as futures studies. 

At the panel discussion of the second session, chaired by senior research fellow Ji-young Seo (STEPI), former senior research fellow Cheon-sik Woo (Korea Development Institute), professor Yong-seok Seo (KAIST), senior research fellow Byeong-sam Choi (STEPI), and senior research fellow Mi-ri Byeon (Seoul Institute) discussed the current status and development direction of futures research being conducted in various institutions.

In the final third session, futures research experts from Germany, the UK, Finland, and Austria participated via video conference to share overseas futures research cases, and senior research fellow Hyeon Lim (Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning) presented on "Futures in Science and Technology and Science and Technology Policy: Achievements, Limitations, and Future Development Directions", and senior research fellow Ji-young Seo (STEPI) presented on "Futures and National Policy Linkages: Achievements and Limitations".

At the panel discussion of the third session, chaired by senior research fellow Byeong-won Park (STEPI), senior research fellow Hyeon Lim (Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning), senior research fellow Ji-young Seo (STEPI), former senior research fellow Chun-sik Woo (Korea Development Institute), and the head of the Office of Future Industry Strategy Research Yoon-hwan Oh (STEPI) discussed ways to link futures research and policy sites.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (hereinafter referred to as STEPI, president Ji-woong Yoon), at the invitation of the Malaysian government, participated in the "NTIS Global Sandbox Forum" hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) at the "I-Nation Global Summit 2024" held at the Connexion Conference & Event Center at Nexus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 3 (Tue)–4 (Wed), 2024.

This forum, which discussed in depth the global competitiveness of regulatory and innovation sandboxes and ways to promote technology commercialization, was attended by 8 countries and 1 international organization (Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Switzerland, Iran, Laos, Hong Kong, and the Asian Productivity Organization), which each gave presentations on their own regulatory sandbox policies and strategies and lead discussions thereon. Research fellow Hae-ok Choi (STEPI) gave a presentation on the Korean regulatory sandbox and also participated in a panel discussion.

In particular, during the panel discussion on the topic of “From Policy to Practice: How Regulatory and Innovation Sandboxes Accelerate the Commercialization of Technology”, which was one of the forum’s central topics, representatives from Switzerland and Indonesia participated and discussed case studies highlighting how sandboxes in each country are promoting technological innovation and commercialization.

Research fellow Hae-ok Choi (STEPI) synthesized the research results conducted by STEPI to date and diagnosed the achievements and limitations of the current Korean regulatory sandbox policy under the title “Regulatory Sandbox Policy in Korea”, and introduced specific policy tools related to the mechanism for implementing it.

Choi introduced that Korea’s regulatory sandbox policy focuses on supporting early experimental applications and minimizing regulatory barriers in the technology development stage to promote rapid market entry and commercialization of new technologies, and emphasized the role of the regulatory sandbox policy in promoting technology commercialization.

In addition, she conveyed that the ultimate goal of the regulatory sandbox is to create a market through consumer protection and revision of laws and regulations, and that safety verification is essential for revision of laws and regulations, but also conveyed the importance of a safety management system for new industries, such as strengthening related institutional infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, the invitation from the Malaysian government was issued as a follow-up to benchmarking Korea's regulatory sandbox system with a view to adapting it to a form suitable for deployment in Malaysia.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 460th STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27 at Mozart Hall (31st floor) of the President Hotel in Seoul under the subject of “Diagnosing the Supply and Demand of Science and Technology Talents in the Age of Generative AI and Discussion of Related Policy Measures”.

Through this forum, STEPI diagnosed the changing supply and demand of talent due to the rapid development of technology including AI and sought to devise mid- to long-term science and technology talent policy measures to provide and appropriate response.

In his opening remarks, Ji-woong Yoon, STEPI president conveyed the opinions of voices in the field of industry calling for a new policy and system to develop talent, commenting, “The rapid development of AI technology is constantly changing the appearance and capabilities of talents required in the field, and there is still a lack of a systematic response to this,”.

In his own congratulatory remarks, Hyeok-jae Koo, the director of the Office of Planning and Coordination (Ministry of Science and ICT), said, “New technologies such as generative AI are changing not only the industrial structure but also the paradigm of the labor market, thus presenting new challenges that cannot be solved with existing policies.” He added, “Through today’s forum, I hope that the public and private sectors will cooperate to reflect the voices in the field regarding policies and find practical solutions that can strengthen national competitiveness.”

When the main program began, first, Associate Research Fellow Chi-ho Lee (STEPI), introduced a response plan through an analysis of changes in demand for technical personnel at the national, industrial, corporate, and individual levels under the title, “Diagnosis of changes in demand due to the development of AI technology and policy measures.”

Next, Associate Research Fellow Hye-seon Lee (STEPI), gave a presentation entitled, “Diagnosis of and Proposed Support for Expanding the Supply of Technical Personnel” which presented a diagnosis of the current issues facing existing and new supply channels amidst the changing supply environment for science and technology personnel, and suggesting ways to strengthen monitoring of the supply of personnel and potential ways to support capacity development to secure necessary levels of technical personnel.

On Wednesday, November 20, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held an academic exchange program for 20 graduate students of Seoul National University’s Department of Science Studies in the conference room on the 6th floor of the main building.

 The program, which was held at the request of the Department of Science Studies at Seoul National University, gave students the opportunity to understand the role of establishing science and technology policy and supporting and fostering research institutes through meetings with STEPI researchers, and provided practical insights and career-related information on systematic management and policy analysis processes for the development of national science and technology.

First, team leader Mi Choi of the External Cooperation and Public Relations Team gave an overview of STEPI and introduced STEPI’s efforts to lead the way in proposing useful policies for the nation, the people, and humanity based on the principle of practicality in conducting research that drives innovation and facilitates problem-solving in the regional and global fields of R&D, and industrial economy given the changing environment for science and technology.

Next, Hyeon-chae Yang , Director of the Office of Innovation Law and Institution Research, presented on the importance of evidence-based policies that drive policies more rationally by utilizing evidence produced based on scientific methodology. His presentation entitled, “Introduction to STEPI's Evidence-Based Policy Research: Focusing on Science-of-Science Case Studies”, also covered the conditions for success.

 In particular, he shared cases of solving challenges in innovation research using policy evidence, and also shared various research activities utilized by STEPI to realize evidence-based policies, such as ▲statistical surveys ▲analytical research, and ▲advisory activities.

In addition, Seong-ju Hong , Director of the Division of Innovation Systems Research, participated in the day’s activities, and students also spent time with mentors to discuss science and technology activities as well as various economic and social issues related to science and technology.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 459th STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 14 at Room 203 at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center under the subject of “Designing SME R&D Expansion for Private-Sector-led Dynamic Growth”.

This forum, held as part of the “Korea SMEs Innovative Show 2024” hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and co-hosted by the Innobiz Association, Mainbiz Association, and Ulsan Metropolitan City, sought to find ways to improve the performance of SME R&D support in order to strengthen the challenge and innovation of SME R&D activities in response to the government’s R&D innovation plan.

In his opening remarks given via video, Ji-woong Yoon, STEPI president, emphasized that, “Currently, small and medium-sized enterprises are required to have stronger technological competitiveness in order to survive and grow in a rapidly changing industrial environment,” and that small and medium-sized enterprises must proactively respond to these changes to the business environment.

In his own congratulatory remarks, Gwang-cheon Jeong, Innobiz Association president, said, “Supporting the SME innovation ecosystem to enable the government and the private sector to cooperate to grow dynamically is a very important task,” and added, “I hope that through today’s forum, SMEs in Korea will become even more powerful exponents of innovation.”

Once the main forum began, Sun-woo Kim, Director of the Center for SME and Entrepreneurship (STEPI), kicked off proceedings by introducing analysis of the current status of SME R&D and the resulting problems arising from changes in the domestic and international R&D environment under the title, “Redesigning the Direction of SME R&D Support.”

The first panel discussion moderated by President Hong-kee Kim (The Korean Economic Association) saw director Se-jong Kim (Seongnam Innovation Support Center), Secretary Chang-yeon Lee (Ministry of SMEs and Startups), and Professor Jang-hoon Jeong (Hansung University) sharing their thoughts on the current status of domestic SMEs and the national financial situation and discussing mid- to long-term plans for SME R&D.

The first presentation in the second part entitled “Support Strategies for Global R&D by SMEs and Venture Companies” saw Research Fellow Yong-rae Cho (STEPI) introduce a comprehensive strategic direction suitable for innovative SMEs and venture companies to enter overseas markets based on the academic and political concept of global R&D as defined by the Suk-yeol Yoon government as well as an investigation and analysis of relevant policies pursued by each ministry.

Lastly, Associate Research Fellow Sang-won Lee (Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade) proposed support strategies and policies to enable SMEs to transition successfully to a low-carbon industrial structure under the title of “Support Strategies for SMEs in Response to the Reorganization of the Low-carbon Industrial Structure”.

The second panel discussion moderated by Senior Research Fellow Chae-yoon Lim (STEPI), saw director Jae-sik Lee (Korea Technology Finance Corporation) and Director Gyeong-jin Jang (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs) participate with the other presenters to discuss recent business trends and the direction of future support of the Korea Technology Finance Corporation and the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs.

On November 13, 2024, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2nd Welfare UP Forum in the Damdasu Hall (@ Floor) at the Social Welfare Association Center in Jeju Special Self-Governing City under the theme of “Exploring Methods for Implementing Living Labs for Social Care in the Jeju Area.”

The forum shared case studies of domestic and international living labs and laid the foundation for building an innovative welfare model tailored to the characteristics of the Jeju area.

The first presenter, Policy Committee Chairperson Wi-jin Song (Korean Network of Living Labs), emphasized that living labs should combine expertise and citizenship by introducing overseas case studies of living lab projects such as the Egmont School in Denmark, the development of the fundus camera, and mini solar farms, and also introduced various approaches for living labs to solve regional problems.

The second presenter, Mi-yeong Kim (Head of the Korea Society of Type 1 Diabetes), gave a presentation entitled “Living Labs that Changed the World”, where she talked about the process of introducing a continuous blood glucose monitor for her son with type 1 diabetes and getting it covered by health insurance.

Lastly, Jong-wook Jang , the CEO of SOI Lab, presented on the “Living Lab Project to Address Elderly Care and Prevent Death from Loneliness”, which was conducted in Sangyeok 1-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu. He also shared some thoughts on the process of implementing living labs in the local community.ㅁ

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 5th Korean Network of Living Labs Science and Technology Working Group Seminar on November 6 (Wed.) and 7 (Thu.) under the subject of “The Future of Experimental Research through Living Labs: Local-Based Sustainable Management” at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology River Experiment Center in Andong, Gyeongbuk Province.

Participants in the seminar discussed future tasks and collaborative strategies between regional innovation entities that would contribute to advancing experimental research based on living labs and sustainable management of related technologies, services, and infrastructure.

On Wednesday, November 6, Director Sang-hwa Jeong of the River Experiment Center (Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology) gave the first presentation, introducing the results of collaborative research with local communities based on living labs under the title of “Results of Experimental and Empirical Research through Living Labs and Tasks for the Future” and suggested a plan to establish a sustainable local-based management system.

The second presentation entitled “A Collaboration Model for Mutual Development between Government-funded Research Institutes and Local Governments”, given by Director Jae-eun Im (Innovation City Development Promotion Team at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport), introduced a case study of mutual cooperation between the Department of Rivers at the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government and the Korea Institute of Construction Technology to solve regional river problems and proposed a collaboration strategy for the continuous development of regional organizations and government-funded research institutes. 

The third presenter, Yong-hyun Kim , Director of the Gyeongbuk RISE Project Promotion Team (Gyeongbuk Development Institute), introduced the Gyeongbuk RISE project under the title of “Overview of the Gyeongbuk RISE Project and Strategy to Activate Growth of Regional Innovation” and presented a plan to build a mutual growth model for regions and universities through the Gyeongbuk RISE project that will be implemented after 2025.

At the panel discussion chaired by Senior Research Fellow Ji-eun Seong (STEPI), Associate Research Fellow Ji-hun Ki (Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning), Principal Researcher Eun-ju Kim (STEPI), Professor Seong-jin Noh (Kumoh National Institute of Technology), Director Min-yeong Son (Dohwa Engineering), Policy Committee Chairperson Wi-jin Song (Korean Network of Living Labs), Regional Innovation Center Director Ho-il Jeon (Korea Institute of Industrial Technology), and Professor Chang-beom Choi (Hanbat National University) discussed collaborative strategies among the private sector, industry, academia, research institutes, and government for experimental research and problem solving to advance regional technologies, services, and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, on the 7th (Thursday), Director Mi-ok Choi (TBNA Inc.) gave a presentation on “Leading Regional and Industrial Development: Hydra Lab’s Strategy for Sustainable Growth Strategy and Roadmap for its Implementation”, and Professor Chang-beom Choi (Hanbat National University) presented on “Regional Issues in Cooperative R&D Between Local Enterprises, Government-Funded Research Institutes, and Universities”, where he discussed the potential for collaboration between local communities, industries, and government-funded research institutes and proposed specific strategies to implement this.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute held the 458th STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum at 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 24 at the Brahms Hall on the 19th floor of the President Hotel in Seoul under the subject of “The Role of Science and Technology in Responding to a Shrinking Society”.

The forum, which kicked off with opening remarks from STEPI President Ji-Woong Yoon and congratulatory remarks from Tong-Ki Woo, Chairperson of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, was organized to analyze environmental changes due to the acceleration of the “shrinking society” in which the productive population is decreasing rapidly as the population cliff becomes a reality, and to discuss the roles and tasks of science and technology in responding to the regional extinction crisis that our society is facing.

In his opening remarks, Ji-woong Yoon, STEPI president, said, “A shrinking society in which the working-age population is rapidly decreasing goes beyond being a simple population issue and affects the survival of local communities,” and that a shrinking society is threatening the sustainable development of the country.

He also said, “Science and technology will play an important role in solving the problem of shrinking societies”, and added, “I hope that today’s forum will explore the role of science and technology in solving this problem and come up with a strategy to respond and strengthen the capacity of local regions to innovate.”

In his congratulatory remarks, which were given via video-link, Tong-ki Woo, the Chairperson of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, said, “The development of science and technology will be an effective way to overcome the problem of a shrinking society by increasing the productivity of local areas, discovering their potential, and creating new growth engines,” and added, “I hope that today’s forum will present beneficial alternatives that will allow local areas to take a leap forward.”

In the main forum, Research Fellow Woong-gyu Han (STEPI) gave a presentation entitled “Regional Innovation Strategy for Responding to a Shrinking Society” whereby he analyzed the current status of “regional extinction”, which is developing into a national challenge, and also introduced potential response strategies based on case studies of domestic and international innovation.

Han said, “Young people in their late 20s and early 30s are flocking to the capital area to find jobs,” and said that due to the concentration of large corporations (74.1%) and small and medium-sized enterprises (51.3%) in the capital area, ▲regional populations are hemorrhaging ▲regional universities are failing to meet their enrollment quotas ▲regional infrastructure is disappearing ▲the regional industrial economic ecosystem is weakening, leading to industrial economic polarization between the capital and the regions becoming entrenched.

Accordingly, he emphasized the need to build a regional industrial innovation ecosystem through the integration of education-research-commercialization functions, and the need to move beyond hardware support by expanding software support that will lead to full-cycle support for education-research-commercialization.

In particular, he argued that the regional industrial ecosystem should be strengthened by designating and supporting regional science and engineering hub universities, such as by attracting retired domestic and foreign scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in key science and engineering fields to each region, thereby transforming the region into an East Asian education hub based on local universities.

In his presentation on the topic of “The Response of Science and Technology to Population Change”, Principal Researcher Sang-rim Lee (Seoul National University Population Policy Research Center) covered the concept of a “shrinking society” and the changing aspects of population structure and analyzed the implications for policy.

In the panel discussion chaired by Honorary Researcher Deok-sun Lim (STEPI), Secretary Tae-wan Kim (Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development), Professor Seung-hoon Yang (Kyungnam National University), Team Leader Jun-won Chae (Busan Institute of Science and Technology and Higher Education Promotion), Senior Research Fellow Mun-gu Heo (Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade), and Senior Research Fellow Gyu-hee Hwang (Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training) discussed issues including regional innovation strategies that can enhance local competitiveness and promote sustainable development amidst the deepening problem of the “shrinking society”.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a ceremony for its 16th President Ji-woong Yoon, at 11 a.m. on October 22 (Tue.) in the conference room on the 6th floor of STEPI.

In his inauguration speech, Ji-woong Yoon, the 16th President of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, emphasized that “STEPI, as a global think tank, must respond as a hub of the domestic and international science and technology policy value chain (PVC) by strengthening national strategic technology fields and international policy cooperation research.”

In addition, he stated that in order to realize the aim of “improving people’s quality of life as a science and technology powerhouse”, we must ▲ strengthen policy research on new national strategic technology fields such as artificial intelligence and advanced bio, and ▲ respond with agile and effective policy research through communication with R&D sites.

Additionally, he pledged, “We will work together to put in place a system to promote research so that all STEPI members can take pride in their work and demonstrate their expertise, and furthermore, to not miss the policy golden time to advance the national innovation system.”

The new President, Ji-woong Yoon, who holds a Ph.D. in policy studies from Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, a master’s degree in public administration from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Yonsei University, has previously served as the chairman of the Korean Association for Policy Studies, co-representative of the Citizens’ Coalition for Scientific Society, a policy coordination expert on the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, and a professor of public administration at Kyunghee University.

From September 23 (Mon.) to 27 (Fri.), the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held an invitational training session in Seoul and Sejong, Korea under the moniker of the “Advisory Project to Establish and Improve a National R&D Innovation Management System for Ghana” as part of the “K-Innovation Partnership Program 2024”.

Under this invitational training session, eight officials and academic experts from STEPI partner organization, Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI),were invited to Korea to analyze and discuss the current status of Ghana's R&D innovation management system and examine the development process of each element of Korea's R&D innovation management system, thereby sharing the knowledge and experience necessary to establish a R&D innovation management system suitable for Ghana's current level of national development. Participants were also given the opportunity to visit related organizations and experience Korean culture.

From September 23 (Mon.) to 26 (Thu.), the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia on “Sharing Korea's Experience of R&D Support Policy and Improving the Skills of Indonesian Policy Experts” as part of the “K-Innovation Partnership Program 2024”. 

The workshop was attended by approximately 100 officials from the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), a partner organization, to share Korea's experience of science and technology innovation policy, and approximately 40 experts from both countries participated to discuss measures for developing Indonesia's R&D funding and infrastructure support policy guidelines.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute held a “Career Experience Lecture” from 13:10 p.m. on September 3 for 25 seniors from Geulbeot Middle School and 25 freshmen from Daeseong High School, which are both in the Sejong area, in the main conference room in Building A at the Sejong National Research Complex.

The career experience lecture given that day was designed to introduce students to careers in the field of space science and let them explore possible areas for development in space through interactions with STEPI researchers, and to give students time to think about their own dream future careers.

 Under the title of “Global Space Competition Era, the Role of the Space Generation,” Research Fellow Hyeong-Jun Ahn (STEPI) gave a lecture on Korea’s space development strategy as it enters the intense global competition for space development as well as the kind of careers that can be undertaken in space development.

In particular, he introduced the achievements that Korea, which has been developing national space for 30 years, has made so far, as well as exchanging opinions on national needs and expectations for future space development thus giving students the opportunity to explore the possibilities of related career paths.

From August 26 (Mon.) to 29 (Thu.), the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held an invitational training session in Seoul and Incheon, Korea under the moniker of the “Implementation of the Azerbaijan High-Tech Park (HTP) Operating Program and Skills-Building Project” as part of the “K-Innovation Partnership Program 2024”.

Under this invitational training session, six technology commercialization officials and academic experts (selected through a technology entrepreneurship workshop for local technology commercialization experts) from STEPI partner organization the Azerbaijan High-Tech Park (HTP) were invited to visit Korea to gain the knowledge and experience necessary for technology entrepreneurship through the Korean Technology Entrepreneurship Instructor Training Program (TTT, Train the Trainer Program). Participants were also given the opportunity to visit related organizations and experience Korean culture.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the Cambodia national pilot project kick-off ceremony in the corressponding country on August 9 (Fri.) as part of the Korea-UNDP Coorporation Project.

During this event, which opened a new chapter in the Korea-UNDP Three-stage Cooperation Project (2021–2025) launched in 2021, brought partner countries together implementing agencies such as STEPI, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), Cambodian National Mekong Commission (CNMC), Mekong Institute (MI), Mekong River Commission (MRC), and Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) and cooperation target countries discussed plans to produce food, water and energy sustainably using innovative technologies such as improving Cambodia's water treatment and agricultural environments, and conserving energy.

In their welcoming speeches, Sophort, Secretary-General of the Cambodian National Mekong Commission (CNMCS), Sen Van Sim, Deputy Governor of Stung Treng, Seong-hoon Hwang, Director of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Grace Wang, Director of UNOSSC, expressed their hope that Korea’s role and strategy in this project would open further avenues for cooperation with Cambodia.

At the kick-off ceremony, Director Min-jin Kim of L2E Solutions, a Korean innovative company participating in the project, introduced a research plan titled, “Design and Implementation Water Treatment and Supply System Using Renewable Energy for the Sdao Community in Cambodia.”

In particular, he stated that the ultimate goal is to identify the interconnected elements between water, food and energy resources and improve the agricultural environment and energy conservation in the Stung Treng Province of Cambodia by establishing a “clean water supply system using renewable energy.”

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 3rd Korean Network of Living Labs Science and Technology Working Group Seminar from 15:00 p.m. on August 9 (Fri.) at Hanbat National University under the subject of “AI and Sustainable Urban Transition.”

This seminar, hosted by the Hanbat National University Small and Medium Business Industry-Academic Cooperation Center and the SW Convergence Research Institute and organized by STEPI and the Korean Network of Living Labs, explored strategies for utilizing AI to achieve sustainable urban transition and solve regional problems.

As the first presenter, Policy Committee President Wi-jin Song (Korean Network of Living Labs) gave the presentation on current AI-based urban problem-solving activities under the title of “AI and Sustainable Urban Transition Strategy and Tasks,” where he outlined the typical problems we face and measures that can be taken to overcome them.

Nubiz CEO Bo-hyeon Lee, the second presenter, introduced a case study on solving local problems and a platform for solving such problems using living labs under the topic of “Experiments and Tasks for Solving Local Problems Using AI”, and suggested solutions using AI and ICT.

Lastly, Professor Cheon-eum Park (Hanbat National University) gave a presentation titled “Trends in XAI Research for Solving Local Problems”, introducing the latest trends in “explainable AI” research and suggesting a method for verifying explainability to improve the reliability of problem-solving activities such as child speech therapy and classifying emergency calls.

At the panel discussion chaired by Senior Research Fellow Ji-eun Seong (STEPI), Director Jeong-sun Lee (Digital Society Planning Division, Ministry of Science and ICT), Principal Researcher Eun-ju Kim (STEPI), Director of Corporate Social Innovation Jeong-ju Seo (Eisai Korea), Vice President Il-sik Jang (Autonomous Police Development Research Institute, Korean National Police University), Professor Chang-beom Choi (Hanbat National University), President Dong-sung Han (University Living Lab Network), and Senior Researcher Hye-ran Hwang (Daejeon Sejong Institute) discussed issues including solving social problems using AI and strategies for sustainable urban transition.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 3rd Local Government - Industry - Academe - Research Sector Innovation Forum @Daejeon from 10:00 a.m. on June 27 (Thu.) at Eoullim Plaza in Daejeon Technopark under the subject of “local government - industry - academe - research sector cooperation and collective impact.”

Hosted by the Daejeon RISE Center in Daejeon Technopark and organized by STEPI, Korean Network of Living Labs, and Daejeon Network of Living Labs, this forum aimed at discussing plans to establish a virtuous cycle for local innovation - educational - industrial - social policies using “RISE” and cooperation plans among related entities.

As the first presenter, Policy Committee President Wi-Jin Song (Korean Network of Living Labs) gave the presentation titled “Collective impact and private - industry - academe - research sector - government cooperation” through which he proposed an integrated innovation promotion plan for regional transformation to sustainability by asserting that regional innovation must be expanded to a concept encompassing social and educational innovation beyond industrial and technological innovation. 

Research Fellow Seung-Hyeon Kim (STEPI), the second presenter, introduced the progress of the RISE policy implementation and significance of RISE from the perspective of regional innovation, proposing key issues to be addressed in and implications of the policy implementation process through a presentation titled “The RISE and regional innovation system advancement plan.”

As the last presenter, Director Byeong-Hwa Lim of the Regional Industrial Fostering Division (Daejeon Technopark) gave a presentation titled “The High Five cooperation plan for RISE-based educational innovation” through which he introduced the directivity of the four major ABCD strategic industries pursued by Daejeon Metropolitan City along with Daejeon’s RISE promotion plan (draft) to be implemented from 2025 under the vision of “Universities nurtured by the region, region developed by universities.”

At the panel discussion chaired by Senior Research Fellow Ji-Eun Seong (STEPI), President Min-Su Kim of the Operating Committee (Citizens' Participatory Operation Center), Research Fellow Eun-Yeong Kim (Daejeon Sejong Research Institute), Secretary Hui-Jun Kim (Regional Human Capital Policy Division, Ministry of Education), CEO Ju-Han Park (EUCLIDSOFT), Director In-Hwan Lee of the Policy Division (National Research Council of Science & Technology), Director Ju-Wuk Lee (University Education Innovation Division, DSC Regional Innovation Platform), Professor Chang-Beom Choi (Hanbat National University), and President Dong-Sung Han (University Living Lab Network) discussed plans to reestablish the roles of universities and new regional innovation strategies under the RISE system.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the Laos and Thailand national pilot project kick-off ceremonies in the corresponding countries on June 27 (Fri.) and July 1 (Mon.), respectively, as part of the Korea-UNDP Cooperation Project. 

During these events, which heralded the full-on implementation of the Korea-UNDP Three-stage Cooperation Project (2021–2015) launched in 2021, project implementing agencies such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, STEPI, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), Mekong Institute (MI), Mekong River Commission (MRC), and Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) and cooperation target countries discussed plans to establish a water resource data center and a flood prediction and warning system in Laos as well as an intelligent water management system in Thailand.

“We congratulate Laos for being the first of the four countries along Mekong River to host the kick-off ceremony. We hope this event will contribute to laying a solid foundation for the organic implementation of the flood prediction and warning system project in Laos,” STEPI Vice President Seung-Woo Yang said at the Laos national pilot project kick-off ceremony.

Through their welcome speeches, Secretary General Phonepaseuth Phouliphanh of the Lao National Mekong Committee Secretariat (LNMCS), CEO Anoulak Kittikhoun of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, and Director Seong-Hun Hwang of the Ministry of Science and ICT invited the attendees to discuss Korea’s roles and strategies for opening up a new path of cooperation between Korea and Laos.

At the kick-off ceremony, Director Yu-Jin Kim of HermeSys, a Korean innovative company participating in the project, explained the plans for establishment of a data center in Vientiane and a flood prediction and warning system in Khammouane, Laos through a presentation titled “National water resource data management center improvement and development of flood prediction and warning system for the target regions.”

At the Thailand kick-off ceremony held on July 1 (Mon.), Governor Jumpoj Wannachatrasiri of Bueng Kan, Thailand examined the demand of local residents in Bung Khla, Bueng Kan Province and the applicable technologies and discussed the directivity of project implementation.

CEO Sang-Hun Cha of WI.Plat, an innovative company participating in the project, gave a presentation titled “Intelligent water management model design and implementation for Bung Khla, Thailand” through which he proposed the automation of a tap water production and supply system in the village using advanced technologies and strengthening of local human resources’ management capabilities.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 4th Korea - Japan Living Lab Forum@Daejeon themed “Search for Local Government - Industry - Academe Innovation System for Responding to Regional Tasks” from 2 p.m. on June 19 (Wed.) at the Industry - Academe - Research Sector Training and Research Center of Chungnam National University.

At the forum hosted by the University Education Innovation Headquarters of Daejeon-Sejong-Chungnam Regional Innovation Platform and GONGSAENG and organized by STEPI, Hanyang University LINC3.0 Project Group, Co-creation Bureau of Osaka University, and Korea Network of Living Labs, the experiences of Korea and Japan in responding to regional tasks were shared and the mid- to long-term cooperation strategies were discussed.

Policy Committee Chairman Wi-Jin Song (Korea Network of Living Labs) gave the first presentation titled “Search for Local Government-Industry-Academe Innovation System for Responding to Regional Tasks and Promoting the Tasks,” emphasizing the introduction of regional innovation policies starting from response to population aging and decline, regional decline, climate crisis, and polarization to development of a “quadruple helix innovation system” through joint effort by local residents, local governments, universities, research institutes, and enterprises. 

As the second presenter, Researcher by Special Appointment Nakamura Shohei (Co-creation Bureau of Osaka University) introduced the status of Osaka University by exploring the research and education ecosystem to address regional issues when he talked about “Local Government - Industry - Academe Innovation Experiment of Osaka University and Tasks to Address Regional Issues.” He also presented innovation cases of the university working in cooperation with local communities experiencing population aging and decline. 

In a presentation titled “The Experiment of Local Government - Industry - Academe Cooperation and Tasks for Addressing the Issue of River Waste,” Researcher Sang-Hwa Jeong (Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology), the third presenter, introduced cases of floating waste-blocking facility development and operation by Gongju City, Chungcheongnam-do and proposed the directivity for addressing social issues through local government - industry - academe - research sector cooperation.

Lastly, Professor by Special Appointment Ito Chihiro (Osaka University/former President of Wakayama University) gave a presentation titled “Co-creation Cases of Japanese Universities through Regional Innovation” through which he introduced the activities carried out with local communities to address common issues such as university research and education through cooperation with local communities and enterprises, along with regional innovation activities of locally based national universities as required in the era of population decline, and proposed plans for university research and education activation to address regional issues. 

At the panel discussion chaired by Senior Research Fellow Ji-Eun Seong (STEPI), Director Ju-Wuk Lee of the Regional Innovation Center (University Education Innovation Headquarters of DSC Regional Innovation Platform), Research by Special Appointment Murakami Yui (Co-creation Bureau of Osaka University), CEO Noh-A Min (GONGSAENG), Director Je-Taek Yu (Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development), President Dong-Sung Han (Korea Network of Living Labs), and Principal Research Fellow Hye-Ran Hwang (Daejeon Sejong Research Institute) shared their experiences in responding to regional tasks and discussed plans for cooperation between Korea and Japan.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), together with the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and the Zambian Ministry of Technology and Science, held the Korea - Zambia Science and Technology Partnership Workshop in Zambia for three days from June 17 (Mon.) to 19 (Wed.).

At the workshop organized as part of the CTCN Technical Assistance (CTCN TA) project, around 20 experts from the science, technology, and innovation-related ministry of Zambia and its subsidiary public organizations discussed plans for low carbon and climate resilience-based NIS frame and roadmap development.

Explaining that this project has characteristics that are most suitable for the agenda and purport of the recent Korea - Africa Summit, Senior Research Fellow Chi-Wung Song—who is in charge of the Zambia CTCN TA project (STEPI)—expects the workshop to serve as an example of comprehensive cooperation through which Korea supports science and technology talent fostering and system development in African countries.

“We hope that the NIS of Zambia will serve as an exemplary case of Korea - Africa cooperation for climate change response,” said Senior Research Fellow Song, emphasizing close cooperation between the countries while mentioning the possibility of expansion of this project to other African countries.

Welcoming the Korean researchers’ visit to Zambia, Deputy Director Mwenya Mulenga (Zambian Ministry of Technology and Science) said that Zambia has prioritized the agriculture, mining, tourism, and manufacturing industries for economic growth, but development can be achieved only when the national innovation ecosystem is strengthened. “Our cooperation with STEPI for the NIS framework and roadmap development is critical,” he stressed.

At the workshop, plans for Zambia’s NIS development were proposed based on Korea’s experiences and Zambia’s status, and methods to expand cooperation between the countries were discussed.

In particular, the directivity for Zambia’s NIS governance restructuring and policy-wise response plan were suggested with reference to Korea’s national R&D project governance and process, with the establishment of (provisionally named) Zambia Innovation Agency (ZIA) proposed.

In addition, the development of a digital platform and a competency building program and a plan for ZIA development based on the activation of national communication were discussed.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 1st Local Government - Industry - Academe - Research Sector Innovation Forum@Jeonju themed “Local Government - Industry - Academe Innovation System Development and Innovation of Universities” from 2 p.m. on June 13 (Thu.) at the Regional Innovation Center of Jeonju University.

At the forum hosted by the Regional Innovation Center and Cultural Industry Research Center of Jeonju University and organized by STEPI and Korea Network of Living Labs, plans for establishing the directivity of regional innovation activities in response to regional tasks and strategies for sustainable transition were discussed.

Policy Committee Chairman Wi-Jin Song (Korea Network of Living Labs) gave the first presentation titled “Directivity of Transitional Regional Innovation Policy based on Local Communities” through which he introduced the transitional and task-oriented regional innovation policy starting from the response to regional tasks while urging the necessity of transition in the regional innovation policy frame.

As the second presenter, Research Fellow Wung-Gyu Han (STEPI) introduced the government’s regional innovation project promotion status and proposed plans for regional innovation governance improvement when he talked about “The Status of and Tasks for Regional Innovation through Inter-ministry Cooperation.”

In the presentation titled “Plans to Address Regional Issues Based on Regional Demand,” Professor Min-Su Kim (Industrial Cooperation Information Director, Dongguk University LINC3.0 Project Team), the third presenter, introduced a living lab project implemented through cooperation between Goyang Special City and Dongguk University and proposed the directivity for improvement of the demand-based living lab operation.

Lastly, Professor Dong-Sung Han (President, College of Future Convergence, Jeonju University) gave a presentation titled “Plans for University Innovation Based on Local Government - Industry - Academe Cooperation,” through which he introduced the “Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE)” to be promoted from 2025 by the Ministry of Education centering on local governments in metropolitan areas and proposed plans for university innovation to promote the system successfully.

At the panel discussion chaired by Senior Research Fellow Ji-Eun Seong (STEPI), Director Jeong-Ho Go (Regional S&T Policy Division, Ministry of Science and ICT), Director Dong-Hun Sin (Convergence Technology Research Team, Korea Institute of Fusion Energy), President Ho-Il Jeon (Regional Innovation and Strategy Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology), and Deputy Director Su-Eun Kim (Life Economy Policy Division, Jeonbuk State Institute) discussed strategic plans for each entity to cooperate in developing a sustainable platform for responding to regional tasks.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) started the 2024 STEPI Global Symposium on May 28 (Tue.), 1:30 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom of the Ambassador Seoul - A Pullman Hotel through online and offline channels to celebrate its 37th anniversary.

Discussed at the symposium themed “Science and Technology, and Security: The Emergence of and Response to the Indo - Pacific Strategy” were cooperative plans for strategic technologies adopted by countries that had established the Indo - Pacific strategy and concept of emerging security to seek the transformation of the role of science and technology in relation to the contribution or threat to national security.

In his opening speech, STEPI Vice President Seung-Woo Yang noted that a perspective for concurrently pursuing competition and cooperation in the international society is more necessary than ever. “People at the front line of science, technology, and innovation policy fields are facing the blade of revolution resulting from the emergence of advanced technologies, such as AI and semiconductor, as well as technological hegemony,” he added.

Vice President Yang also emphasized the necessity of paying attention to the close relevance between science and technology and security in the Indo - Pacific region through this symposium. “The Indo - Pacific region has geopolitical importance across the world, and strategies for strengthening science and technology cooperation and security in this region are a critical issue drawing the attention of the international society," he explained. 

Bringing attention to the necessity of in-depth discussion on the directivity and mid- to long-term vision of strategic science and technology policies in addition to the pending issues faced by Korea amid the rapidly changing international situation, Chairperson Dong-Cheon Shin of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences said in his welcome speech that competition and conflicts are intensifying in the fields of not only economic and military security but also technological security for advanced technologies.

Deputy Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs Will Cobb of the US Embassy in Seoul, and Trade Commissioner Rouslan Kats of the Canada Embassy in Seoul also gave congratulatory speeches, expressing expectations regarding the roles and strategies of Korea in opening a new path of cooperation for the science, technology, and innovation fields in the Indo - Pacific region.

In a presentation titled “Indo - Pacific Strategy and Technological Alliance: Dialog for Core and Emerging Technologies,” Senior Research Fellow Chi-Wung Song (STEPI), the first speaker at the forum, emphasized the importance of “activating small-scale multilateral consultative bodies” among countries that can establish technological alliances for core and emerging technologies according to the Indo - Pacific strategy.

In the next presentation titled “The New Horizon of Science and Technology and National Security: Basic Concept of National Strategic Technology Information Analysis System,” Director Gyeong-Mo Seong of the Office of Science and Technology Diplomacy & Security Research (STEPI) asserted the need to establish a national strategic technology information analysis system and proposed the development direction based on research outcomes using the security indicators of synthetic biology as one of the strategic technologies.

Lastly, Senior Research Fellow Julia Voo from the Asia Office gave a presentation titled “Challenges in Cyber Space and Indo - Pacific,” introducing the global tasks implemented in cyber space and cooperative plans to strengthen cyber resilience in the Indo - Pacific region.

At the panel discussion led by Hwan-Il Park, Head of the Division of Global Innovation Strategy Research (STEPI), domestic and international innovation experts discussed the strategy for Korea to establish value alliances with countries other than the US in technological areas where it shows a high level of science and technology-wise initiative for a link to the Indo - Pacific strategy.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), together with the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, held the Korea - Ghana Science and Technology Partnership Workshop in Ghana on May 13 (Mon.).

At the workshop, which was promoted as part of the K-Innovation Partnership Program 2024 (“K-Innovation Program”), around 20 attendees including high-ranking officials from the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation and related ministries and those from industrial, academic, and research sectors discussed plans for developing the national R&D innovation management system of Ghana and strengthening national competencies.

The attendees also devised ways of cooperating with five Korean organizations: National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Korea Institute of Science & Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), National Research Facilities & Equipment Center (NFEC), and STEPI.

Senior Adviser Seong-Cheol Jeong for the K-Innovation program (The Wonjung Institute) emphasized close cooperation between the countries. “Through this workshop, which was organized with the goal of exchanging innovation cases of both countries along with thorough policy analysis, Korea’s experience will contribute to the establishment of a national R&D innovation management system for Ghana,” he said.

Welcoming the Korean researchers’ visit to Ghana, Acting Minister Patrick Nomo (Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation) expects the K-Innovation Program to "contribute to Ghana’s development of R&D innovation management competencies and preparation of a core foundation for national development.”

At the workshop, experts from five organizations explained the program operation and cooperation experiences of their respective organizations by each key component (funding, infrastructure, human resources, data collection and management) of the national R&D innovation management system.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), together with the Science, Technology, Engineering & Innovation Policy Asia and the Pacific Network (STEPAN) and the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, held the side event for the 9th UN STI Forum (Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals) at the United Nations headquarters in New York, US on May 8 (Wed.).

At the side event organized by STEPI, approximately 20 experts from international organizations such as STEPAN, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, and Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations discussed the digital transformation necessary for achieving the SDGs and social innovation policies through stakeholder engagement.

In her opening speech, President A-ree Moon of the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET) expressed hope that this event will serve as a platform for exchanging ideas through global cooperation. “I expect the Asia - Pacific region to display leadership in the digital transformation policy implementation based on the knowledge shared in this event,” President Moon added.

A congratulatory speech from Deputy Permanent Representative Hyun-Woo Cho of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations followed, during which he emphasized the three areas that Korea is focusing on—such as increase in ODA budget, announcement of the digital bill of rights, and hosting of the AI Seoul Summit—to support global digital transformation in developing countries. “This side event is very meaningful in terms of the implementation of the SDGs in digital technology fields,” he said.

At the forum, STEPAN Chair Aini Ariffin gave a presentation titled “Responsible AI Initiative to Strengthen Technology Development and Introduction for the Sustainability of Regional Industries,” explaining the necessity of a comprehensive AI strategy under the circumstances where AI technologies are being monopolized by the developed countries. 

Next, Dilfuza Egamberdieve, Head of the Ecobiome R&D Center, introduced Uzbekistan’s digital agriculture policy in a presentation titled “Digital Transformation in Agriculture: Challenges and Success Cases.”

Lastly, Dr. Rabindra K. Panygrahy from India's Department of Science & Technology introduced the “Digital India Initiatives” under the subject of India’s digital transformation to achieve the SDGs.

Discussed at the panel discussion led by In-Gyeong Seon, Head of the Office of Sustainable Innovation Policy Research (STEPI), were open science for achieving the SDGs as an effective means for science, technology, and innovation data sharing and the importance of participation by various stakeholders in R&D activities and science and technology policy development.

Celebrating its 37th anniversary on May 7 (Tue.), the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a ceremony on May 8 (Wed.) in the conference room on the 6th floor of the office building with all employees participating.

“Celebrating our 37th anniversary today, it is time for us to prepare for the new future by congratulating one another for our hard work over the past year. Standing before the blade of revolution, STEPI must strengthen the competition and cooperation system in the course of establishment of the bloc economy through structural reform of the national R&D projects and international cooperation as the key tasks of 2024,” STEPI Vice President Seung-Woo Yang said in his congratulatory speech.

At the ceremony, the Excellent Report Award, Achievement Award, STEPIan Award, etc. were presented to employees who had displayed outstanding research activities and competencies.

In addition, nine winners including Hyeong-Jun Ahn from Policy Research Team 2 of the Space Policy Research Center were selected as STEPIan of the Year.

Celebrating its 37th anniversary this year, STEPI was established with the goal of contributing to national science and technology policy establishment and science and technology development through science and technology activities, including research and analysis on various science and technology-related socioeconomic issues.

The 457th STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum was held on April 24 (Wed.), 2:00 p.m. at the Harmonis Hall on the 5th floor of Nine Tree Premier ROKAUS Hotel under the subject of “Retrospection on and Prediction of National R&D for New Advancement.”

In his opening speech, STEPI Vice President Seung-Woo Yang stated that resolution to the “Korean R&D paradox” is being urged. “Korea produced a remarkable outcome through active R&D investment over the past decades. However, we are continuously being criticized, both domestically and internationally, for the insufficient economic outcomes in comparison to the scale of R&D investment,” he said.

According to Vice President Yang, correct prescription can be made with correct diagnosis. “In today’s forum, I hope we will be able to diagnose the issues associated with the outcomes of R&D investment so far and, based on the diagnosis, develop an effective R&D investment plan and set the directivity for R&D system conversion in response to the changing environment,” he added.

In a presentation titled “Qualitative advancement beyond R&D paradox,” head of R&D Innovation Research Team (STEPI) Pil-Seong Jang explained that, as a result of a multifaceted verification review on the “Korean R&D paradox” discourse continued around the past ten years in terms of the efficiency, qualitative standard, and economic ripple effects of the R&D outcomes, no particular insufficiencies had been defected in Korea’s R&D investment in terms of efficiency. In fact, investment efficiency had been found to increase in terms of excellent research outcome creation and national R&D performance, he added.

In addition, the efficiency of Korea’s research paper production had been found to be similar to that of major countries and the most superior from the perspective of production.

Jang also asserted the necessity of establishing an evidence-based diagnosis and feedback system covering all areas of national science and technology innovation including national R&D projects for the qualitative advancement of the national science and technology innovation.

In particular, as strategic directions for evidence-based management, he proposed ▲the preparation of a policy system for effective feedback on the verification diagnosis of the national science and technology innovation system and evidence-based policy plans derived from the diagnosis, ▲establishment of data and system for multifaceted review on R&D and innovation activities, innovation outcomes, knowledge diffusion, ripple effects of R&D, etc.,

▲reinforcement of evidence-based accessibility to economic outcomes of R&D investment, and ▲continuous discovery and proposal of effective evidence-based policy plans.

Lastly, under the topic of “Directivity and tasks for national R&D system efficiency improvement,” Innovation Strategy MD Hyeon-Cheol Kim (R&D Strategy Team, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) proposed the mid- to long-term core agenda items (5G-X) for industrial technology R&D innovation through domestic and international R&D innovation policy trend analysis and diagnosis such as ▲conversion of industrial technology innovation goal, ▲conversion of key technologies for global market domination, 

▲investment conversion into global technology companies, and ▲conversion of digital transformation industrial technology governance for data-based policy development. 

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) entered into a business agreement (MOU) on April 9 (Tue.), 10:30 am at the President’s Office with the Shanghai Institute for Science of Science (SISS), which visited Korea to discuss cooperation plans between the institutes including science and technology policies, technology predictions, and industrial strategies. 

Based on the agreement, which is a renewal of the business agreement concluded in 2013, the two institutes will cooperate in the areas of industrial innovation research (artificial intelligence, information and communications, new energy, biopharmaceuticals, new material, etc.) in addition to the existing cooperation area of advanced technologies (information and communications technology, energy technology, environmental protection, new material technology, bio and medical health technology, etc.).

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the retirement ceremony for its 15th President, Mi-Ock Mun, at 11 a.m. on January 17 (Wed.) at the Smart Library on the 6th floor.

While serving as the 15th president of STEPI since January 2021, President Mi-Ock Mun operated STEPI with the goal to develop it as a “world-class research institute for national scientific and technological innovation policy of a global leading country” in order to elevate the nation's scientific and technological standards and achieve a better life for all.

To reflect the research outcomes during her tenure in policy development, President Mun promoted policy proposal ahead of others and policy research to guarantee implementation and effectiveness, and also expanded exchange and cooperation with STEPI's policy-related entities, such as with diplomatic missions in Korea and the National Assembly, in order to broaden the horizon of STEPI's role for national policy development.

In addition, the Center for SME and Entrepreneurship was opened in June of 2022 as a national think tank to prepare innovative strategies for SME and startup support policy, and it implemented the Performance Analysis and System Improvement Plan of KOSBIR, an intergovernmental technological innovation support policy for SMEs, etc., for swift response to the national economic paradigm shift.

At the retirement ceremony, President Mun, while sharing her impressions about her three years of service at the STEPI, asked the attendants to dedicate efforts to enhancing quality of life for citizens by channeling scientific and technological outcomes into national innovation.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2024 kick-off ceremony as a Zoom meeting at 10 a.m. on January 2, 2024 (Tue.) in the conference room on the 6th floor with all employees in attendance.

Through her New Year’s message, STEPI President Mi-Ock Mun described the different situations in three countries related to the scientific and technological innovations of 2023, and presented the keywords for STEPI in 2024.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), together with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, held the 456th STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum on December 19 (Tue.) at 2 p.m. in the Emerald Hall on the third floor of the FKI Tower Conference Center on the subject of “The Direction of the Paradigm Shift in R&D Support Policy for Small and Medium Enterprises”.

The forum was organized with the goal of discussing plans for supporting technological innovation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) following the government’s budget (plan) announcement for 2024.

STEPI President Mi-Ock Mun stated, “The government’s R&D support for SMEs this year has been criticized as a giveaway subsidy, and we could not avoid partial budget cuts,” adding, “Under the circumstances, we need to think again about for what purpose and with which mission the implementation of R&D policy for SMEs must be promoted.”

President Mun went on to say, “For the SME support policy, the focus has shifted from fostering and protection in the earlier phase to innovation and growth in the present. Accordingly, R&D policy plays an important role.” She stated, “It is my hope that, through this forum, we will be able to answer the social question face by the technological innovation policy agenda for SMEs and venture businesses, and that we can move on to a new policy paradigm.”

At the forum, Senior Research Fellow Chan-Soo Park (STEPI) gave a presentation entitled “Plans to Strengthen Strategic Implementation of R&D Support for SMEs”, identifying the status of and issues in R&D of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and a two-track strategy was proposed for growth and fostering versus expansion of the ecosystem.

Based on the strategy, Park asserted the necessity to divide the target of SME innovation policy into innovation leading enterprises that pursue convenience of promotion (corporate growth) and enterprises with vulnerability in innovation competency that pursue public interest (competency building), and to construct a two-track strategy for each innovation competency with the goals of “growth to global leader” and “establishment of base for innovation”, respectively.

In addition this, CEO Yun-Hwa Choi (JMJ Korea) gave a presentation entitled “R&D Strategy for Power Semiconductor Ecosystem Activation” to introduce JMJ Korea’s performance through the government’s R&D support projects and the necessity of government-led base expansion, and CEO Dong Yeop Shin (DY ENG) gave a presentation entitled “Waste Secondary Cell Recycling and the Opportunity to Leap Forward” where he explained the difficulties experienced by SMEs and venture businesses, such as for market entry as well as the financial and technological limitations of R&D.

At the panel discussion led by Professor Jang-Jae Lee (National Public Policy Institute, Chungnam National University), Director Eun-Seon Kim (Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information), Director Sun-Woo Kim (STEPI), Professor Cheol-Woo Park (Tech University of Korea), Director Se-Myung Yoon (Ministry of SMEs and Startups), and CEO Chi-Ho Choi (Korea Science & Technology Holdings) discussed the strategies of R&D support for SMEs in terms of the government’s key policy direction.

On December 8 (Fri.) at 2:00 p.m., the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), together with the Korea Society for Regulatory Studies, held the 2023 Technological Regulation Policy Research Conference concurrently via online and offline channels under the subject of “Standardization and Certification, the Core of Technological Regulation” at the Courtyard Seoul Namdaemun (Hanyang Room 3 & 4).

Kicking off the event with the opening address by STEPI Vice President Seung-Woo Yang and welcoming speech by President Jun Seok Yang of the Korea Society for Regulatory Studies, the conference was divided into two sessions, one involving sharing of the study results for standards and certification regulations and the other involving a debate among experts, through which the policy plans developed by researchers in relation to certification regulation issues were disclosed and opinions were exchanged with experts.

In his opening address, STEPI Vice President Seung-Woo Yang stated, “As our economy enters the low-growth phase, a fundamental solution to certification regulation issues is more urgent than ever for the improvement of competitiveness of enterprises.” He added, “I hope that, through this conference, insightful opinions will be proposed and exchanged to improve the certification regulation system in a direction that facilitates alleviating the burden on enterprises while ensuring the safety of citizens.”

In the welcoming speech, President Jun-Sok Yang of the Korea Society for Regulatory Studies said, “Although standards and certifications are important factors to guarantee the functionality and interoperability of products and have a significant impact on the success or failure of industries, the level of general citizen awareness on the issue is not high.” President Yang continued, “Hopefully this study and conference will serve as an opportunity to identify issues in Korea’s standards and certifications system and bring the standards and certifications infrastructure up to the next level.”

In the conference, Senior Research Fellow Gwang-Ho Lee (STEPI) gave a presentation entitled “Analysis of the Causes of Certification Regulation Issues and Response Plan”, through which he surveyed the status of certification regulation response and standard utilization for persons from enterprises and government ministries as well as experts handling certification and standard operations (526 in total, including 426 enterprises, 45 government ministries, and 65 experts), analyzed the causes of the issues, and introduced their relevance to the standards.

In addition, Associate Research Fellow Gwon-Il Kim (STEPI) and Research Fellow Hae Ock Choi (STEPI) introduced the characteristics of the domestic certification system and proposed improvement plans for each certification type by giving presentations entitled “Comparative Analysis of Standard and Certification Systems in Major Countries”, focusing on the systems in Korea, Germany, and the U.S., and “Certification Regulation Case Analysis and Implications” to classify 186 regulatory improvement tasks into five types.

At the expert debate, which was led by President Jun-Sok Yang of the Korea Society for Regulatory Studies, Professor Min-Chang Lee (Chosun University), Research Fellow Su Jeong Choi (Korea Small Business Institute), and Professor Seong-Jun Kim (Kyungpook National University) discussed improvements for the repeatedly raised certification regulation issues as well as alternative approaches.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2023 Science and Technology Policy Research Talks at Lotte Hotel Seoul on December 5 (Tue.) at 2 p.m. under the theme of “The New Landscape of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy”.

U.S. Embassy Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs Andrew Herrup gave a congratulatory speech at the conference, with diplomats serving in scientific and technological fields from the German, Australian, Swedish, Finnish, and Danish embassies in attendance.  

STEPI has exchanged opinions on science and technology policies and international cooperation strategies in various formats, such as forums and conferences, with diplomatic missions in Korea over the past three years. 

Moving forward, STEPI will continue its work to identify issues across scientific, technological, and diplomatic fields and arrange opportunities for discussion. 

At 3:40 p.m. on December 5 (Tue.) (local time, Uzbekistan), the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a technical session entitled “Research and Development for Social Problem Solving: The Living Labs Approach” at the International Conference on Green Technologies for Climate Action and Resilience in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

150 people from the Ministry of Science and ICT, APCTT, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) of the UN, Ministry of Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, operating members of the APCTT, and others attended the conference via online and offline channels.

Senior Research Fellow Ji-Eun Seong, the first presenter, introduced the framework of R&D to address social issues under the title of “Living Labs Activities for Social Problem-Solving R&D in Korea: Achievements and Challenges from Case Studies”, and proposed plans for cooperation in the Asia - Pacific region through Living Lab to address climate change issues while sharing the activities of Living Lab in Korea.

For the second presentation, entitled “Proposal of plasma technology as an appropriate technology: Focusing on on-site airto-fertilizer system and agricultural waste management”, Senior Researcher Jong-Seok Song (Korea Institute of Fusion Energy) proposed a plan for independent fertilizer supply in developing countries that use plasma technology as the strategy for problem-solving type R&D globalization.

Through his presentation entitled “A Plan to approach ODA project based on an integrated management solution for river/marine debris”, CEO Jong-Hwa Won (Foresys), the last presenter, proposed a plan to establish a database on waste-discharging countries, amounts of discharge, waste types, etc. using AI and IoT in rivers, which are a major cause of marine waste discharge, and to share the cost of waste treatment among the central and local governments and producers.

In the discussion and Q&A session led by Principal Researcher Eun-Joo Kim (STEPI), the attendees discussed the directions of R&D and Living Lab development to address various social issues faced by the UN ESCAP member states, such as climate crises and marine waste.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 455th STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum entitled “Preconditions for Success of Science & Technology Globalization: Globalization of STI Policy and Agenda” oon November 28 (Tue.) at 2 p.m. at the Crystal Hall of the Seoul LW Convention as well as through online channels.

At the forum, attendees discussed the role of Korea’s science and technology circles in line with the nation's competitiveness in the area, preemptive development of STI-related agendas where Korea can be the leader in global society, and the necessary tasks for their globalization.

“By preemptively developing cooperation agendas in science and technology and exercising leadership in various cooperative situations, Korea can become a leader in global society,” STEPI President Mi-ock Mun said in her opening address, clarifying that it is time for Korea to promote globalization of STI policy and agendas.

President Mun also said, “Working as a non-permanent member of the Security Council from the next year is a good opportunity for Korea to enhance its status in global society,” and added, “I hope that today's forum will become the venue to preemptively develop Korea’s STI agendas and prepare the necessary strategies.”

As the presenter for the forum, In-Gyeong Seon, head of the Office of Sustainable Innovation Policy Research (STEPI), gave a presentation entitled “Globalization of Science and Technology and Globalization of Science and Technology Policy”, where she introduced the roles and possibilities of Korea as a leading country in STI agendas.

She pointed out that while around 68% of national R&D projects invested over the last 10 years had the potential to contribute to achieving the SDGs, none of them were conducted with the specified goal setting for the SDGs, which limits Korea's influence and power in terms of its STI competitiveness in global society.

Thus, she highlighted that Korea needs a strategic approach to provide content for global discussion before setting global agendas and turn that content into global agendas if Korea is to have global influence in line with its global status in science and technology competitiveness.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a symposium under the theme of "Korea-Africa Mutual Growth and Plan for Development Cooperation" together with more than 20 ambassadors from different African nations at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21 at the Orchid Hall (4th floor) of The Plaza Hotel Seoul.

The symposium was hosted as a session of the Global Korea Forum 2023, organized under the main subject of “ODA: Sharing for the Future with Korea-Global Value+Together with the People” by the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (NRC), and was held from Monday, November 20 to Wednesday, November 22.

Mi-ock Mun, President of STEPI, said, “Africa and Korea have cooperated in diverse ways to address common issues by utilizing each other's strengths and promoting knowledge exchange in the fields of science, technology, and innovation,” adding, “I hope that today's symposium will help to set the foundation for the Korea-Africa partnership centered on STI for the sustainable development of the nations of Africa.”

Hae-Gu Jung, Chair of NRC, delivered a congratulatory speech, saying, “I hope that this roundtable will lead to more meetings and communications between Korea and African countries,” and encouraged making this occasion into a discovery of the agenda for partnership to be discussed at the Korea-Africa Summit in 2024.

Hyung-Du Choi, a member of the People Power Party, and Woon-Ki Lyeo, chair of the Korea-Africa Foundation, expressed their hopes for the discussion on new Korea-Africa development cooperation strategies and cooperation focusing on STI for the mutual development of Korea and Africa.

In the symposium, Chair Professor Jin-Sang Lee (Korea Aerospace University) emphasized that a new partnership between Korea and Africa can begin from the cooperation focusing on STI, including the field of ICT where Korea secures its global competitiveness, under the title of "New Partnership between Korea and Africa: For Shared Prosperity".

Next, Minister Mekuria Haile Teklemariam (Ministry of Personnel Management of Ethiopia) introduced the importance of the policy for development of communications network infrastructure as a facilitating factor in digitalization for technology distribution in Africa with outstanding cases in Korea's ICT development under the theme of "The Catalyzing Role of the ROK on African Technology Diffusion through ODA".

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the Seoul S&T Forum 2023 on Tuesday, November 7 at The Plaza Hotel Seoul, in partnership with the National Research Council of Science & Technology and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. 

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the Forum first opened in 2010 with the G20 Summit in Seoul and has become the floor for discussion on how to address global issues through science and technology with the participation of STEPI, leaders in the fields of science and technology research and policy from Korea and abroad, global organizations, and others.

This year, the Forum invited Korean and foreign experts from STEPI, universities, and companies to focus on exploring the future coexistence of human beings, AI, and robots and the limitless possibilities of AI technology innovations under the theme of "AI Innovation and Future Society".

In their keynote speeches, Professor Ruslan Salakhutdinov of Carnegie Mellon University, a globally renowned scholar in AI, and Vice-President Soa Park of VAIV Company discussed cases of AI technology application and data and the plans for their development.

In the first session, experts from different circles gave presentations on creating the foundation for AI vitalization, understanding AI regulatory systems and their implications on policy, and AI and its commercial value, followed by a debate on the presentations during the panel discussion and a Q&A session with the audience.

In the second session, a discussion was opened regarding the application of machine learning techniques in the field of material engineering, the utilization of geological information-based AI in agriculture, the tasks of robotics and 3D modeling, and real cases.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the “IFANS-STEPI Experts’ Forum 2023” on Tuesday, October 26 at the KNDA Hall of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) in partnership with the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security of KNDA under the theme of “ways to correlate STI (science and technology innovation) & Development Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region”.

This forum consisted of two sessions, with one for a discussion on STI strategies of the countries that have established the Indo-Pacific strategy and their cooperation plan for developing countries, and another to explore ways of support in STI fields in each of the main areas through development cooperation.

Jong-Han Kim, head of the Department of Indo-Pacific Studies (IFANS), emphasized in his opening speech that “In the era of US-China strategy competition, the struggle for technological dominance is becoming fierce, and more and more importance is being placed upon solidarity and cooperation for forming new international regulations between countries with technological leadership,” and that “today’s forum is expected to examine the trends of Indo-Pacific countries and the tendencies of their development cooperation and to set forth the implications for us.”

In-Gyeong Seon, head of the Office of Sustainable Innovation Policy Research (STEPI), delivered a welcome speech with an introduction stating that “The major challenges of Korea’s new Indo-Pacific strategy include strengthening of cooperation in the field of cutting-edge science and technology, addressing the digital gap in the area, and the expansion of the economic security network,” expressing anticipation that “this forum will provide in-depth analysis to back up those challenges and give insight on a direction for future cooperative development.”

In the first session of the forum, under the theme of the “Indo-Pacific Strategy and STI of Major Countries”, Professor Tae-Eun Song (IFANS) began by introducing ▲scientific and technological cooperation in national defense and military diplomacy strategy for the Indo-Pacific area, changes in the environment of operation for future wars, ▲the relationship between innovation of national defense and national security for future wars, and ▲the national defense science and technology development strategy of Korea and the United States.

Continuing on, Jun-Yeon Kim, team leader at the Software Policy & Research Institute, presented on ▲the containment of the United States regarding core and emerging technologies, ▲the counter-strategy of China, and ▲strategies of Korea for each issue.

In the second session of the forum under the theme of the “STI Support Plan of Donor Countries in Each Area”, team leader Mun-Su Kang (Korea Institute for International Economic Policy) introduced the support strategies of major donor countries such as the United States, China, European countries, India, Japan, and more under the title of “Digital Support Strategies of Donor Countries for Africa and Implications”.

Next, Researcher Ji-Hyun Kim (STEPI) presented on ▲STI and digital ODA, ▲the current state of ASEAN's science and technology innovation, and ▲the STI support strategies of major countries for ASEAN, all under the title of “Support for Science and Technology Innovation of Major Donor Countries for ASEAN”.

Aside from this, Min-Kyung Park (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) introduced the relevant current status and the results of the analysis of support strategies of the United States, China, Japan, and the EU under the theme of the “Digital & STI Support Strategy of Donor Countries for Central and South America”.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 454th STEPI Science and Technology Policy Forum titled “One Way, Two Conditions: Search for innovation strategies based on synthetic biology” on October 24 (Tue.), 2 pm through online and offline channels.

At the forum, the attendants discussed diversification growth strategies through analysis on the changes in international order, etc. in order to promote the national development of synthetic biology, which has emerged as a key technology for bio technological supremacy.

“For bio health, almost every country is focusing on synthetic biology and aggressively implementing key policies including active investment strategy development in order to take the initiative for future growth. Under the core paradigm of competing for technological supremacy and achieving technological security, we need to develop strategies by analyzing the international order in the bio health field,” STEPI President Mi-ock Mun said in her opening address. 

President Mun also expressed hope that the forum will enable examining the current status of synthetic biology in Korea and abroad, discussing innovation policies and international relations, and proposing plans for Korea to achieve strategic growth through bio health. 

As the first presenter in the forum, Associate Research Fellow One-sun Cho (STEPI) gave a presentation titled “Search for Innovation Strategies Based on Synthetic Biology: Bio foundry securitization and internationalization strategy” where he introduced the types and analyzed the synthetic biology security strategies of major countries followed by the proposal of Korea’s national strategy and statecraft through a strategic bio foundry internalization and securitization-based approach.

Then, under the theme of “Twofold strategy to establish a synthetic biological industry ecosystem in Korea,” Director Il-yeong Jeong of the Division of Strategy Research for Future Innovation at STEPI introduced the analysis of six technologies* to examine synthetic biology competitiveness and proposed the directivity to promote diverse strategies considering the formation of an industrial ecosystem instead of a strategy focusing solely on technological security (protection).

Peruvian Ambassador to South Korea Paul Duclos visited the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) on October 23 (Mon.) to explain the progress of the K-Innovation project and Peru Project and discuss about STEPI’s expertise for scientific and technological innovation policies.

At the meeting, STEPI expressed appreciation to Ambassador Duclos for Peru’s establishment of a technological roadmap concerning the six key industries, and the participants sought cooperation between the countries to participate in the global value chain through the development of AI technology policies and SME innovation.

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Peru this 2023, the participants looked forward to a cooperative relationship between the countries in APEC.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 3rd Local Intellectual Property and Local Innovation Forum both online and offline under the theme of “New Innovation Activities and Tasks of Local Intellectual Property as Glocal Strategies” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, September 14 at the Auditorium on the 3rd floor of Ulsan Metropolitan Council.

Sponsored by the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property and organized by STEPI and Ulsan Network of Living Labs, this forum served as a venue for discussing how to advance local intellectual property and make it a local common resource for glocal innovation.

“We can be said to have achieved true local development when the culture and level of life of local residents are advanced together with the industrial development. We expect this forum to serve as a venue for accelerating growth using local intellectual property and laying the foundation for new local innovation,” Chairperson Man-gi Baek of the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property said in his opening speech.

In her welcome speech, STEPI’s President Mi-Ock Mun stressed the need for strategies to reorganize local intellectual property that local communities have owned and use it as a new innovation resource. “We should make a program for adding value and glocalizing through the convergence of science, technology, and digital and local intellectual property,” she added.

In his congratulatory speech, Vice Mayor for Economy Hyo-dae Ahn of Ulsan Metropolitan City expressed his expectations for vitalized discussion for Ulsan to develop into a region of community-centered happiness by using local intellectual property.

First, Director Jong-hwan Hwang of the Knowledge Sharing and Co-prosperity Network stressed that the most local is the most global in the era of localization and globalization in the 21st century and presented ways of recreating local intellectual property for realizing glocalization strategies under the theme of “Strategies for the Advancement of Local Intellectual Property as Glocalization Strategies and Our Tasks.”

Next, Executive Jin-gyu Heo of the Ulsan Oegosan Onggi Association presented ways of globalizing local intellectual property, such as operation of Global Onggi Academy for the globalization of onggi culture as part of strategies for glocalization of cultural content related to onggi under the theme of “Glocalization Strategies of Local Intellectual Property of Oegosan Onggi Village in Ulju-gun.”

On the other hand, Director Yeong-ran Park of the Petroglyphs along Bangucheon Stream Promotion Team discussed ways of local innovation using the Petroglyphs along Bangucheon Stream, whose inclusion as UNESCO cultural heritage in 2025 is being promoted by her team, under the theme of “How to Make Petroglyphs along Bangucheon Stream Common Local Resource.”

“The participation of local residents is essential for the sustainability of cultural heritage,” Director Park said, pointing out that the process of having the heritage registered as a world heritage involves damages to natives’ properties, inconvenience of inhabitants, operational and managerial uncertainty after the registration, and conflicts among residents.

Lastly, Senior Director Ji-eun Seong of STEPI presented the accomplishments of the three sessions of Local Intellectual Property and Local Innovation Forum under the theme of “Seeking New Local Innovation Strategies using Local Intellectual Property.”

In the panel discussion moderated by Honorary Researcher Wi-jin Song of STEPI, Secretary-General In-ho Kim of the Ulsan Network of Living Labs, Secretary-General Gi-jeong Nam of the Eonyang-eup Resident Organization for Urban Regeneration, Director Bo-gyeong Mun of the Korea Foundation for Social Investment, Director Hye-jin Yun of It’s Room, Deputy Director Cheong-su Lee of the Micro-Enterprise Growth Promotion Division (Ministry of SMEs and Startups), and Professor Jong-gyu Hwang of the School of Public Administration (Dongyang University) participated to discuss ways of converging and advancing local intellectual property as strategies for local innovation oriented toward glocalization.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 453rd Science and Technology Policy Forum jointly with Eisai Korea, Korean Network of Living Labs, and Soilab at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12 at Ondream Society in Seoul under the theme of “Corporate Social Innovation for Creating Impact: Focusing on Cases in Korea and Japan.” 

Kicking off with the opening speech of STEPI’s President Mi-Ock Mun and the welcome speech of Eisai Korea's CEO 

Hong-byeong Goh this forum served as a venue for discussing the significance of corporate social innovation aimed at the solution of social problems and sustainable development goals as well as the methodology of innovation in partnership with the regions and citizens.

In her opening speech, STEPI’s President Mun noted that companies today are required to take new actions and responsibilities to address social problems, beyond their role as the subject of economic growth and industrial innovation. “They can get new opportunities for market creation and new businesses if they aggressively employ social problem solutions and ESG-responding actions,” she stressed.

Senior Researcher Ji-eun Seong, the Korean presenter who gave a presentation under the theme of “Corporate Social Innovation Together with Citizens and Regions” at the forum, proposed ways of corporate social innovation in responding to social challenges through the co-creation activities of citizens and regions together with companies.

Hitachi, Ltd's Chief Manager Designer Shibata Yoshitaka from Japan gave a presentation themed “Social Innovation Activities of Hitachi” to present the activities and directions of the design center that plays a distinct role in Hitachi, a company that aims to become a global leader by setting social innovation as their core purpose.

Meanwhile, Eisai Korea’s Director Jeong-ju Seo introduced the social innovation cases of Eisai Korea, which works jointly with citizens, local societies, local governments, and public institutions to realize the integrated care system for local societies, under the theme of “Transition of Care and Corporate Social Innovation: Experiments of Eisai Korea.” 

NTT Regional Revitalization Co-Design Lab’s Partner Kimura Atsunobu from Japan introduced the practices of living labs that sought the transition of social system structure in Omuta in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan under the theme of “Practices of OMUTA Living Labs,” highlighting the types of participations by companies and discussion points for creating social impact.

What the presenters commonly pointed out was that it is not sufficient for individuals to conduct innovative activities to solve the difficult issues of our society and to realize SDGs, but that the stakeholders of private, industrial, academic, research institute, and public sectors should carry out collective impact activities that combine their experience, knowledge, and technologies.

In the panel discussion moderated by Wi-jin Song, Chair of the Policy of the Korean Network of Living Labs, CEO Dae-gwon Goh of Innosociallab, Head of Department Shin-uk Guk of the Korea Committee for Corporate Partnership, Adviser Hyoung-jin Kim of Klover Partners, CEO Seok-won Yoon of TestWorks, and Head of Technology Innovation Policy Division Se-myeong Yun of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups participated to discuss ways of vitalizing corporate social innovation together with citizens and regions in order to achieve SDGs.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the “Korea-Indonesia Invitation Training for Industrial Innovation 2023” from Wednesday, September 6 to Tuesday, September 12 as part of “Korea-Indonesia Industrial Innovation Research Cooperation Project 2023: Capacity Building in Operating PIDI 4.0 and Seeking a Means of Cooperation with Korea.”

This training invited seven luminaries from the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia and the partner startups of Digital 4.0 Center (PIDI 4.0) in Indonesia, providing a venue for discovering agendas in depth for Korea-Indonesia partnership in cooperation and paying a visit to related institutions in Korea.  

The program of the invitation training included the following: ▲ visit to the XR showroom of NIPA Nurikkum Square; ▲ participation in the M360 Global Conference; ▲ exploration of Hyundai Motor Studio; ▲ visit to Global Knowledge Exchange & Development Center; ▲ viewing of the XR technology exhibition at Théâtre des Lumières; ▲ attendance to the meeting of Global Digital Innovation Network; ▲ inspection of Frontec Smart Factory; ▲ participation in the meeting of Jeonbuk Technopark and more.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the Invitation Training for Capacity Building of Ghana Innovation Research Commercialization Center (GIRC) from Saturday, September 2 to Saturday, September 9 as part of K-Innovation Partnership Program 2023. 

Invited to the training were 10 experts from Ghana including the stakeholders of the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation and GIRC, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and related research institution, and Association of Ghana Industries and two experts from Laos for the follow-up management of K-Innovation Laos 2020-2022 to share experiences and knowledge of Korea on science and technology policy and innovation research commercialization. 

The experts had meetings for discovering Korea-Ghana cooperation programs as they visited the following institutions in Korea: ▲ Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), ▲ Global Knowledge Exchange & Development Center (GKEDC), ▲ Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), ▲ Korea Technology & Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA),▲ 

Future Automobile Materials Forming & Processing Center of Gyeongbuk Technopark, ▲ steel mill and promotion center of POSCO in Pohang, ▲ Daejeong Headquarters of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), and ▲ Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). 

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the Network of Care Living Labs Forum in Jeonju on Wed., Aug. 30th at 2 PM at Jeonju University under the theme of “Citizens Grow into the Subject of Care.”  

Sponsored by the 

Jeonbuk Local Problem Solution Platform, Jeonju Medical Welfare Social Cooperative, and Network of Care Living Labs and organized by STEPI, Senior Citizen Academy, Eisai Korea, and Cultural Industry Research Center of Jeonju University, this forum served as a venue for sharing experiences of changing the health and care system and discussing practices to grow citizens into the subject of care and build local care communities along with professional organizations.

The first presenter, Manager Dong-sung Han (Jeonbuk Local Problem Solution Platform), suggested ways of care strategy wherein a variety of subjects are associated by introducing activities and cooperative cases of Jeonbuk Care Network to solve the regional care problems under the subject of "Solving Local Problems with Citizens."

As the second presenter, former President Hae-suk Yu (

Incheon Social Service Center) proposed ways for senior citizens to participate in the care of junior citizens, colleagues, and local community under the subject of "Senior Citizen Care in the Community." “We have to stop perceiving the elderly as the target of care and start thinking of them as senior citizens,” she said. 

The third presenter, Executive Director Seon-mi Go (Jeonju Medical Welfare Social Cooperative), emphasized the necessity of integrated service support system for customized healthcare, welfare, and care by introducing the current status of "integrated healthcare supporters" under the subject of "Jeonju-type integrated local society care with healthcare supporters."

The last presenter, Director Jae-shin Sim (

Kkongbat Cooperative), suggested ways of building a social foundation wherein patients and their families can act as the subject of care while introducing corporate cases of providing care services based on the association of supportive institutions of each disease with the patients and families under the subject of "Patient and Family Become the Subject of Care."

The panel discussion hosted by Policy Chairman Wi-jin Song (Korea Network of Living Labs) was participated in by Hyeon-jeong Guk (Resident-Participated Health Enhancement Center of Mindlle Health Welfare Social Cooperative), Department Head Ran-i Park (Daejeon Public Agency for Social Service), Jeong-ju Seo (Eisai Korea), and Senior Researcher Ji-eun Seong (STEPI) to discuss strategies and practices to turn citizens into the subject of care.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute held the 452nd Science and Technology Policy Forum on Wed., Aug. 16th at 4:40 PM (local time in Germany) in Munich, Germany.

Themed “Directions to Vitalize Europe’s Collaboration in National Strategy Technology by Government-Funded S&T Institutes,” this forum, which was a special session of the Europe-Korea Conference (EKC) 2023, was participated in by experts in a variety of fields to analyze the technological innovation in Europe and search for ways to vitalize the collaboration between Korea and Europe through exchange with Korean researchers living overseas.

Senior researcher Ju-yeong Ham of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) gave the first presentation titled "Current R&D Activities for National Strategy Technology and Future Directions," introducing cases of global joint research being conducted at KIST in seven major fields including secondary battery, advanced bio, quantum and more and emphasizing the importance of the role of government-funded S&T institutes as an overseas stronghold.

Director Gyeong-mo Seong of STEPI's Office of Science and Technology Diplomacy & Security Research asserted that government-funded S&T institutes should be used as the means of vitalizing global cooperation between Korea and Europe as he introduced the policy trends in Europe for securing its technological sovereignty by easing foreign dependence under the subject of "Policy Trends in Europe for Technological Sovereignty and Directions for Cooperation with Europe Centering on the Strategy Technology of Government-funded S&T Institutes."

“We should turn our bilateral collaboration with European countries into opportunities for experiencing their multilateral research collaboration system where investment in Europe’s strategy technologies takes place,” Director Gyeong-mo Seong said. He suggested seeking Korea’s chances to participate in the new economic and industrial agenda led by the multilateral researcher collaboration system of Europe centered on norms (carbon neutrality, EU battery law, etc.) and pursuing the collaboration focusing on national strategy technologies by reinforcing the role of government-funded S&T institutes in global cooperation.

Finally, Director Jong-woon Hwang (KIC Europe) analyzed the major issues and current states of research innovation activities in EU, including Germany, and introduced ways of expanding the possibility of their collaboration with Korea under the subject of "Major Duty Activities of KIC and Direction for Vitalizing the Collaboration with Europe." 

In the discussion hosted by Yong-rae Cho (STEPI), Assistant Professor Young-chan Kim (University of Surrey in UK), President Jong-wook Lee (Association des Scientifiques Coréens en France), and CEO Gyeong-won Seo (CODA, Co., Ltd.) took part to discuss ways to vitalize collaboration with Europe through the Korea-Europe global joint research and technological commercialization centering on national strategy technologies.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute held the Forum on How to Respond to Competition for Technology Hegemony and Strategy for Securing National Critical Technologies on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 2 p.m. 

Organized by I&TM KAIST and jointly sponsored by STEPI and Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade the forum was initiated to seek the way Korea has to follow for its policy level as well as how to secure its national critical technologies under circumstances wherein technological competitiveness has become the essential factor for a nation’s survival. 

Eui-seok Kim, professor of I&TM KAIST, was the first presenter; he defined in his presentation the national critical technologies that a nation should critically secure in the technology hegemony era based on the results of analyzing more than 86,000 related documents.

Next, Hee-kwon Kyung, Associate Research Fellow of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade, proposed policy-level measures for Korea to take a leap forward to becoming a global pivotal nation by identifying superior and risk factors of Korea’s cutting-edge industries in the competition where the United States and China mainly have hegemony.

Yong-rae Cho, Research Fellow of STEPI, introduced overseas cases related to the technology hegemony competition and drew the implications that Korea has to consider from the cases.

In addition, he suggested a realistic orientation for Korean policy in line with the era of emerging security.

The last presenter, Professor Tae-sung Yoon of I&TM KAIST, explained the reasons for the technology hegemony competition and the process of its expansion and proposed how to respond on a policy level for Korea’s survival strategy.

Executive Director Andreas Göthenberg of STINT (Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education) visited STEPI on Monday, July 3 while in Korea to look into the policies and strategies of the Korean government in diplomacy for science and technology. 

During the meeting, participants shared opinions on the government-level policies and strategies on diplomacy for science and technology and discussed the desired orientation and significance of international cooperation and research security in advanced technology to come.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2nd Local Intellectual Property and Local Innovation Forum under the theme of "Strategies and Tasks for K-Food as a Local Innovation Project through Convergence" at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 8 at the Local Innovation Hall of Jeonju University.

Sponsored by the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property and co-organized by STEPI, Jeonju University (President Park Jin-bae), and Korea Food Research Institute (President Baek Hyung-hui), this forum was the venue of discussion on strategies for “K-Food” as a new local innovation project converging local intellectual property.

First, Director Hwang Jong-hwan of Knowledge Sharing and Co-prosperity Network presented how to build a model of industrial ecosystem of convergence through “K-Food” under the theme of “Strategies and Tasks for K-Food as a Local Innovation Project through Convergence.”

Next, Senior Researcher Jang Dae-ja of the Korea Food Research Institute introduced the current state of K-Food using local intellectual property and ways of vitalization under the theme of “Utilization of K-Food and Intellectual Property and Cases of Commercialization.”

Lastly, CEO Kim Jeong-hyeok of Slowtech reported a means of cultivating local ventures that combine intellectual properties accumulated in a local area with the dynamic of youth by introducing “ 

Slowtech,” a traditional culture start-up that associates programs for young people’s growth and local innovation, under the theme of “Local Regeneration and Assetization using Local Intellectual Property: Case of Hansan Sogokju in Seocheon.”

The Local Intellectual Property and Local Innovation Forum was initiated to discuss local innovation strategies from new points of view oriented toward local development and problem solving by discovering local intellectual properties, converging them with other knowledge, and connecting collective innovations with the participation of various subjects from inside and outside of local areas.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a seminar on futures study by inviting eminent scholar Riel Miller (senior fellow, Ecole Des Ponts Business School) as speaker at 1 p.m. on Monday, June 6 at the main conference room on the 6th floor.

Held under the theme of “Frontier and Challenges of Futures Literacy for Innovation Policy in AI Era,” this invitation seminar was a venue for sharing the current status of global studies for strategic future vision and discussing the roles of future study to support the establishment of sustainable and innovative science and technology policies and ways of its utilization.

On Thursday, May 18, 2023, STEPI provided a special lecture on career experience to 25 first-year students from Sejong Daesung High School. 

The lecture with STEPI researchers was designed to let the students understand the ever-changing science technology and AI environment driven by ChatGPT and think about their future dream jobs. 

Under the theme of "ChatGPT and Future Society," the head of the Future Strategy Team of STEPI, Park Hyun-jun, addressed how new opportunities can be made by generative AI and how the students can set their career path to follow the changes in the future. The students learned the weaknesses and strengths of ChatGpt and how ChatGpt can change the future.

In particular, the opportunities to explore their career path were given to help the students find various possibilities in the new area with information about jobs in the AI field and promising areas worth challenging in the future. 

Before the lecture, Na Da-yeong, a researcher of the Future Strategy Team, had a Q&A session to answer the questions about how a day as a STEPI researcher goes while giving a brief introduction on STEPI to match the level of students.

As part of the 2023 Career & Work Experience Program participated by National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (NRC) and relevant research institutes, this lecture was conducted to provide an educational venue where students explore their own aptitude and future job through understanding national policy research institutes, its roles, and experiencing how researchers work.

On Tuesday, May 16, at 1:30 PM, STEPI hosted the "2023 STEPI Global Symposium’ to mark its 36th anniversary at the Grand Ballroom Hall in The Ambassador Seoul - A Pullman Hotel in Seoul. 

Under the theme of "Great Transformation of the Axis through Bio Startups," this global symposium was designed to seek policy measures to enhance the competitiveness of the bio economy from a perspective of Korea’s strategic growth in the context of global competition for advanced biotechnology that would change the industries of the future. 

In the opening remark, STEPI President Mun Mi-ock said, “Global competition surrounding advanced bio technology that would shift the industries of the future has already started, and we are in a situation where the entry and growth of new industries by using new advanced technologies with higher added value should be constantly promoted.” She also mentioned that a strategic growth perspective is needed now more than ever. 

President Mun stressed the ecosystem of bio startups and their roles through the symposium, saying, “It is crucial to seek policy measures to improve the competitiveness of the bio economy.”

In the first presentation, Chief Business Officer of Israel‘s Minovia Therapeutics Dr. Shai Melcer emphasized the significance of startups in the bio fields through Israel’s start-up Minovia’s activities for developing medicines using molecular cells under the theme of Bioeconomy for Startups.

Head of the Strategic Planning Office of Standigm Kim Han-jo introduced Standigm’s global strategies to develop new medicines using AI technologies, current status of bio startups and mechanism for delivering new technologies to the market under the theme of "Standigm’s Global Strategy: Lessons from Experience." 

In addition, Executive Director of Industry-University Collaboration of POSCO Holdings’ Future Technology Research Institute, Park Sung-jin, addressed the bio innovation ecosystem, and introduced bio enterprises value-up strategies and solutions based on industry-academia-research cooperation under the theme of "Strategies for Building a Bio Venture Ecosystem Based on Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation."

Experts from relevant fields participated in the panel discussion to discuss the bio innovation ecosystem and policy strategies that Korea needs to focus on to move forward. 

On Sunday, May 7, STEPI hosted a commemorative event at the conference room on the sixth floor of the STEPI Building to mark its 36th anniversary with staff members. 

Awarding of Excellence Reports, Achievement Awards, and STEPlan took place to encourage staff members with exceptional research and work performances.

STEPI was founded 36 years ago with an aim of contributing to the making of national science and technology policies and development of science and technology through research and analyses of science and technology activities, as well as various issues stemming from economic societies associated with science and technology.

The institute was initially named the CSTP (Center for Science and Technology Policy) under the KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) in 1987. In May 1993, it was reorganized under the KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology), until it was renamed the Science and Technology Policy Institute and officially launched as a research institute in May 1999.

On Wednesday, May 2, STEPI hosted a side event for the 8th UN Science Technology Innovation Forum (8th UN STI Forum) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the Science Technology Engineering Innovation Policy Asia and Pacific Network (STEPAN) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S.A. 

About 50 experts from Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, UNOSSC, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, the UNDP, and the STEPAN participated in the side event organized by STEPI to discuss the policies to promote the utilization of technology innovation to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

In the opening remarks, STEPI President Mun Mi-ock stated, “To keep the promise of SDGs by the international community until 2023, a global consensus should be formed among UN member states to increase the implementation speed and actively utilize science technology as a leverage." She also stressed the importance of much attention and participation from the science and technology industry to achieve SDGs. 

In the presentation session, Director of UNESCO-ENEA Shahbaz Khan introduced the activities of UNESCO as a bridge between science and society under the theme of "Challenges of Mobilizing STI Stakeholders in Achieving SDGs in Asia-Pacific Region." In addition, he also shared the difficulties in the process of implementing SDGs in Asia-Pacific region in 2023. 

Dr. Fernando Santiago from the UNIDO introduced the UNIDO’s industrial policy advisory frames under the theme of "Utilization of SDGs for Policy Technology Innovation Policy Advistory Service."

Sun In-kyoung, leader of Office of Sustainable Innovation Policy Research (STEPI), presented how to contribute to the implementation of SDGs and global problem solving in Korea’s science and technology community through data analysis of national R&D projects under the theme of "Linked Implementation of SDGs with Missions of National R&D Projects."

Moreover, Dr. Cornelio Guterres from East Timor’s INCT pointed out the lack of the government’s relevant systems and shortage of research resources under the theme of "Policy Limitations of East Timor Government for Implementation Support of SDGs."

Lastly, science and technology policy experts from Asian countries participated to discuss the importance of policy capabilities in developing countries to promote both industrialization and SDGs, and establishment of realistic short-term goals and efforts to achieve them as well as long-term goals like SDGs.

On Thursday, Apr. 27, at 2 PM, STEPI and the Korean Association of Science, Technology and the LAW held the 451st Science and Technology Policy Forum in the international conference room (2F) in the Bank Hall.

 Under the subject of Reorganization of Legal System for International Science and Technology Cooperation in Response to the Era of Economy and Technology Security, many experts from various fields participated in this forum and reviewed the pending issues for science and technology policy to cope with the era of economy and technology security. Moreover, the experts sought to find an effective alternative to international science and technology cooperation system.

Mun Mi-ock, president of STEPI, stated in an opening address that “As the era of economy and technology security arrives, the national strategy and the ’international joint cooperation’ which is a core axis of cooperation model among allied nations have become critical.” She added, “We hope that the laws for international science and technology cooperation would be formed in a timely manner to expand the international joint research through international science and technology cooperation with this forum as a stepping stone.”  

Choi Chi-ho, CEO of Korea Science & Technology Holdings, gave a speech under the title of Legal Issues on the International Joint R&D System and Directions for Reorganization of Legal System for Science and Technology Cooperation. He explained the need for the reorganization of legal system for international joint R&D by diagnosing the cooperation among industry, university and institute and the science and innovation network at home and abroad.

Sun In-kyoung, leader of Office of Sustainable Innovation Policy Research (STEPI), gave a speech under the subject of Analysis of Research Security in the Global Research Ecosystem and Leading Countries’ Response Thereto. She stated the importance of research security as research is becoming more and more internationalized and globalized. Moreover, she introduced the need for establishing a strategy for international science and technology cooperation from a perspective of the full cycle by analyzing a response to research security by the leading countries, such as U.S., Australia, Japan, etc.

On Tuesday, Apr. 25, at 2 PM, STEPI and the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET) held the Industry and Scientific Technology Innovation Policy Forum on-line and off-line in the Grand Hall (4F) of Sejong Best Western Hotel.

This forum was conducted with the subject of Diagnosis of the innovation of Korean Enterprises and Seeking Policy Direction Based on Statistics. Moreover, the forum discussed the methods to revitalize the innovation of industry and scientific technology by sharing the key findings and implications of nationally recognized statistics, such as the Survey of Innovation of Korean Enterprises (supervised by STEPI) and the Survey of Knowledge Service Industry (supervised by KIET), etc.

This forum began with the followings: an opening address of Ju Hyeon (president of KIET); a welcoming address of Mun Mi-ock (president of STEPI); and a congratulatory address of Jeong Hae-gu (chairperson of the Economics, Humanities and Social Research Council). After the speeches, Yoo Ho-seok, chief officer of Software Policy & Research Institute, introduced the tide of changes in a macroscopic innovation environment, major innovations and policy direction thereof under the subject of Review and Policy Direction for Recent Innovation Environment at Home and Abroad.

In the second presentation, Lee Joong-woo (researcher of STEPI) diagnosed under the title of Characteristics and Policy Implications of Innovation by Korean Enterprises. He further explained status of Korean innovative enterprises and characteristics based on the results and in-depth analysis of the Korean Innovation Survey, which is run under the Government and hosted by STEPI.

Lastly, Lee Sang-hyeon, chief officer of the KIET, gave a lecture under the subject of Status and Policy Implications of the Knowledge Service Industry in Korea. He explained the status of knowledge service businesses and the result of innovative activities in terms of creation and utilization of knowledge on the basis of the key findings of Survey of Knowledge Service Industry (supervised by the KIET)

On Thursday, Apr. 6, from 2 PM, STEPI held the 1st Local Intellectual Property and Local Innovation Forum in Dongja Art Hall of Seoul. The forum, with the subject of Strategies and Tasks for New Local Innovation Based on Local Intellectual Property, was also offered online.

The forum, held by the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property and supervised by STEPI, discussed new local innovation strategies for promoting the local development and local problem resolution by finding and utilizing local resources.

Song Wi-jin, honorary researcher of STEPI, gave the first presentation under the title of New Strategy and Task for Local Innovation Based on Local Intellectual Property. Dr. Song introduced the local innovation strategy to respond to local challenges and presented a plan to innovate the local intellectual property based on the mission-oriented and problem-solving platform.

Hwang Jong-hwan, chairperson of Knowledge Sharing and Coexistence Network, gave a lecture on the past and future of local intellectual property and presented revitalization strategies under the title of Model Cases and Status of Local Intellectual Property at Home and Abroad.

Lastly, Kim Mi-ja, manager of Food & Agriculture Research Team in Mungyeong Agricultural Technology Center, introduced model cases of local innovation and local economy revitalization that utilized Mungyeong's magnolia berries under the title of Cases of Application of Local Intellectual Property of Mungyeong and Development Methods. The magnolia berries of Mungyeong are considered as local intellectual property.

The forum was established to discuss local innovation strategies with new perspectives that seek for the local development and solutions for local issues by finding the local knowledge, combining with other knowledge and connecting with collective innovation in which various local and outside subjects participate.

On Tuesday, Apr. 4, STEPI and the Ghanian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation held the Workshop for Scientific Technology Cooperation Partnership Between Korea and Ghana in Ghana.

The workshop, which was promoted as a part of the 2023 K-Innovation Partnership Program (K-innovation Program), was participated by senior officials of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and 30 figures from industries, research and academia who discussed the performance of the GIRC Centre’s mater plan established by the second year’s program, follow-up programs, etc.

In particular, a plan for cooperation was discussed with a total of six domestic institutes, such as: STEPI, National Research Foundation of Korea, Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs, Korea Technopark Association, Gyeongbuk TP, and Jeonbuk TP Digital Convergence Center.

In the workshop, seven experts from domestic institutions introduced each institution and explained the status of ODA programs and where the institutions can cooperate.

On the other hand, a kick-off meeting and a ceremony for delivering a master plan was held, in the morning on Apr. 4, to inform the launch of the 3rd year of the K-Innovation Partnership Program.

The K-Innovation Partnership Program is a multi-year program that was promoted from 2021 to 2023. In September 2023, which is the 3rd year, officials from the Ghanian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the GIRC Centre will visit Korea and receive the training to strengthen capabilities.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) of Korea and the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI) of Cambodia jointly adopted the "National Science & Technology Roadmap" during a proclamation ceremony held in an event commemorating Cambodia's first-ever National Science, Technology & Innovation Day, which took place from Mar. 26th to 28th.

It was a large-scale national event joined by more than 50,000 participants, including Hun Sen, the incumbent prime minister of Cambodia, high-profile officials from the science and technology field, and university students. While initiatives in the fields of agriculture, education, and health were adopted last year, this year proclaimed the adoption of the roadmap on energy, digital, and tourism.

In a bid to promote awareness of the significance and value of scientific knowledge in developing social economy, the Cambodian government first-ever designated the National Science, Technology & Innovation Day on Mar. 26th, the day the proclamation ceremony was held.

 During the three-day event, Lee Jeong-won, a senior researcher at STEPI, introduced the importance of the "National Science, Technology & Innovation Strategy" and STEPI's support for the development of Cambodia's National Science & Technology Roadmap. Other Korean experts joined the event by sharing Korea's experience and case studies ranging from the national R&D management to the introduction background and characteristics of the National Science & Technology Information Service under the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea.

The adoption of Cambodia's National Science & Technology Roadmap is a follow-up project (the first-phase policy advisory project was conducted from 2018 to 2019) designed to create policies related to the science, technology and innovation (STI) of Cambodia.

K-Innovation Partnership Program, an ODA project under STEPI, has been organized to support the sustainable development of developing countries based on STI.

Launched in 2014, the program has been assisting recipient countries in developing their economy by providing customized policy consultations and competence support in the STI field. It has yielded accomplishments like the one with Cambodia's case of adopting the National Science & Technology Roadmap and the National Science and Technology Master Plan.

On Tue, Mar. 16th, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) kicked off its K-Innovation Partnership Program by hosting a seminar on the Indonesia policy advisory project in Jakarta, Indonesia.

On the heels of the integrated launch of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia is faced with urgent tasks on improving the R&D support system followed by changes in science and technology innovation governance and its structure. In response, STEPI is set to provide policy consultations designed to analyze the nation's R&D infrastructure and funding status and draw reform strategies for three years starting this year. 

At the seminar, Kim Eun-joo, a senior researcher at the institute, introduced the project by explaining its purpose, detailed plans, and anticipated performances resulting from mutual cooperation between STEPI and BRIN. 

In the first session, BRIN officials Tjahyo Pranoto (infrastructure policy) and Ajeng Arum Sari (funding policy) participated as presenters, describing the status and problems of the ongoing R&D support plans in Indonesia.

Korean experts joined the following session by sharing Korea's R&D support policies. First, Kim Yong-joo, head of the Facilities and Equipment Operation Team under the Korea Basic Science Institute, introduced Korean state-run think-tanks' infrastructure and monitoring systems. Furthermore, Hwang Ji-ho, head of the Office of Future Technology Strategy under the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning, shared the history of Korea's R&D funding support policies, stressing the importance of the efficient implementation of those policies.

On Tue, Mar. 14th at 10:30 AM, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI, President Mun Mi-ock) held the Network of Care Living Labs Forum under the title "Creating Health and Care Innovation Together: How We Can Fulfill It" at the event hall of Social Campus ON in Jeju.

The forum was organized to share various activities for health and care innovation in the region and discuss detailed action plans. The event was hosted by STEPI and organized by JejuSquare, the Jeju National University LINC+ 3.0 Project Group, the DSC Regional Innovation Platform Future Living Lab Center, the R&E Center for Learning Health Systems at Korea University, and the Network of Care Living Labs.

As the first presenter, Seo Jeong-joo, a director at Eisai Korea, introduced the activities and tasks of the Network of Care Living Labs. Seo also stressed the significance of building common visions and strategies that show directions and integrate detailed action plans of each organization in the network.

Kang Ji-woong, chair of the Yongdam 2-dong Community Social Security Association, joined the event as the second presenter to share a public-private partnership business designed to support families in crisis under the theme "Extending Helping Hands: Creating a Good Community Where All Adults and Children Can Walk Together Hand in Hand."

Lastly, Jin Yoon-hye, president of the Seolmundae Social Cooperative, presented a case study on mutual care activities under the program organized to comfort and care for mothers and their children with developmental disabilities.

On Wed, Feb. 15 at 2 PM, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 28th Korean Network of Living Labs (KNoLL) Forum at the DSC Hall of the Chungnam National University. The forum discussed the theme of “How to Achieve Sustainable Mobility Transformation” both online and offline.

Hosted by the STEPI and KNoLL and organized by the Future Living Lab Center from Daejeon Sejong Chungnam (DSC) Regional Innovation Platform, the forum explored integrated strategies to improve quality of life of local residents by developing mobility technologies and promoting relevant industries, nurturing local talent, and creating jobs. It also discussed the possibility and prospect of Living Labs as a platform to realize these strategies where private and public sectors, industries, academia, and research institutes collaborate. 

Park Yong-Han, the head of the University Innovation Education Headquarters (from DSC Regional Innovation Platform), gave the first presentation titled “Universities Collaborating with Local Communities, Finding Answers from Nurturing Future Talent for Mobility.” Park introduced the DSC sharing universities as a nurturing hub for core talent of future mobility and emphasized the importance of educational curriculum based on living labs focusing on solving regional problems. 

Professor Lim Choong-Jae (Keimyung University) was a second presenter, whose presentation was about “Living Lab-based Experiments on and Assignments of Mobility on Demand (MoD) that Responds to Future Social Changes.” Prof. Lim introduced a case study on MoD, conducted in Gunwi-gun and Dalseo-gu, Daegu, the regions of marginalized mobility and accessibility with welfare services.

Oh Mi-Hye, the head of the Innopolis Campus (from Korea Automobile Research Technology Institute), gave a final presentation with the title of “Carbon Neutrality: Mobility in the Era of the Smart City.” Oh proposed ways to develop technologies and demonstrated the roles of mobility for the minimization of the pollutants harming the environment and the expansion of sustainable mobility in the era of Smart ICT.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held an award ceremony of certificate of appointment for Jung Ki-chul, Director of Center for Public R&D Program Evaluation, on Monday, Jan. 16 at the conference room on the 5th floor of STEPI Building.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a kick-off meeting for the year 2023 both online and offline with the attendance of all STEPI members on Monday, Jan. 2 at 10 AM at the conference room on the 5th floor of STEPI Building or via Zoom meeting.

During the new year's address, STEPI president Mun Mi-ock presented the research and management keywords that STEPI should focus on this year to overcome the challenges in the era of multi-polarity and seize the opportunity.

An award ceremony of certificate of appointment for members after reorganization was held on the same day as well.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a retirement ceremony and threw a staff dinner party on Monday Dec. 22 at the conference room on the sixth floor of the STEPI Building. The retirement ceremony was held for: senior research fellow Ahn Du-hyeon from the Division of R&D Strategy Research; research fellow Park Dong-bae and Bae Yong-ho from the Division of Strategy Research for Future Innovation; and senior research fellow Jang Jin-gyu, Lee Jeong-weon, and Jang Yong-suk from the Division of Global Innovation Strategy Research.

The event was especially meaningful since the staff were able to get together for the last couple of years due to COVID-19. All employees enjoyed the event together and celebrated the retirement of the five researchers who dedicated themselves to science and technology policy.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2022 Open Innovation Policy Platform Dissemination Conference both online and offline on Wed, Dec. 14 at Grand Hall, EL Tower. The conference was jointly hosted by the STEPI, Korea Development Institute (KDI), Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI), and Korea Institute of Public Administration (KIPA).

Starting with a congratulatory message from Kim Beom-seok, director general of the Planning and Coordination Office of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and a welcoming speech by STEPI president Mun Mi-ock was given. The attendees discussed and shared opinions on alternatives for: the creation of a sustainable and innovative smart manufacture ecosystem (STEPI); the establishment of a foundation for the vitalization of a smart space ecosystem (KIPA); the creation of a healthy NFT ecosystem (KISDI); and the creation of a health care MyData ecosystem (KDI).

During her welcoming speech, STEPI president Mun Mi-ock said “open innovation policy methodology” should be actively utilized in policy making and support, emphasizing the necessity of on-site demand-based policy implementation to overcome the current crisis of high interest rates, exchange rates, and prices.

The first speaker Oh Yoon-hwan, director of STEPI Office of Future and Social Innovation Research, introduced the result of the operation of and research on the STEPI open innovation lab for smart production in 2022 and stressed the necessity to narrow the gap between the industrial site and the political site for more effective political support, under the title of “Policy Suggestion to Create a Sustainable and Innovative Smart Manufacture Ecosystem.”

The STEPI Session included on-site experts’ presentations such as “Manufacturing Data Standard and Technology Trends and Introduction of AAS” by CEO Kim Yu-cheol (Nestfield) and “Tesla’s Gigafactory and Toyota’s Nanofactory, Between Innovation and Improvement” by vice-CEO Park Jeong-gyu (Glendale Consulting). Director Kim Mun-seon (Smart Manufacturing Innovation Business Association), research fellow Lee Hang-gu (Korea Automotive Technology Institute), and etc. participated in a panel discussion hosted by research fellow Park Chan-su (STEPI).

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 27th Korean Network of Living Labs (KNoLL) Forum at the conference room on the sixth floor of the STEPI building on Wed, Dec, 14 at 2 PM. The forum was held both online and offline under the theme of “Our AI Created by Citizens: Civic AI.”

The forum was hosted by the STEPI, organized by KNoLL and Hanyang University LINC3.0 Project Group, and sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT. During the forum, the attendees defined innovative AI activities, in which citizens and experts develop and utilize AI technology together in order to respond to challenging social issues such as climate change, population ageing, and resource circulation, as “Our AI” and discussed its current situation and vitalization plans.

The first speaker, policy chairperson Song Wi-chin (KNoLL), emphasized the necessity of new types of innovative AI activities in which AI-based social issue resolving activities are conducted in either participatory type or joint creation type, under the title of “Strategies and Tasks of Our AI Created by Citizens.”

 Song talked about the characteristics and significance of “Our AI” activities, jointly conducted by citizens and specialized bodies. Such activities are done by a series of AI development procedure of “problem setup, data collection/organization, model development/demonstration, and on-site application/social impact.”

The second speaker, representative Kim Mi-yeong (Korean Society of Type 1 Diabetes), introduced the “AI-based artificial pancreas system” developed and used by global patients with type 1 diabetes, under the title of “Patient-initiated AI-base Care Experiment and Project.”

Kim pointed out the institutional and technological situation that prevents a large number of patients with type 1 diabetes from using the system in spite of its outstanding effectiveness, explaining the disease management situation in which forced the patients to develop the system on their own.

The third speaker, CEO Kim Jong-gyu (60 Hertz), introduced technologies and services for the management of small-scaled distributed power, eco-friendly power, and bidirectional power, under the theme of “Experiment and Project of Our Energy Created by Citizens.” The fourth speaker, Baek Myeong-su director of the Citizens' Institute for Environmental Studies, suggested a plan to vitalize citizen science in which citizens collect data and conduct research activities on their own, under the theme of “Our Experiment and Project to Vitalize Citizen Science.”

The last speaker, CEO Seong Mo-se (Hanyang University Family Representative, Huject), shared the living lab-based technology commercialization case of Huject having generic technology of energy harvesting and put emphasis on interested party-based data accumulation and utilization, under the theme of “Interested Party-based Technology Distribution and Commercialization Cases.”

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2022 Technology Regulation Policy Research Conference both online and offline in collaboration with the Korea Society for Regulatory Studies on Monday, Dec. 12 at 2 PM, at Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Namdaemun (Hanyang Rooms 3 and 4), under the theme of “Seeking Out Alternatives to Government Regulations.”

Starting with an opening speech by STEPI president Mun Mi-ock and a welcoming speech by Yang Jun-seok, president of the Korea Society for Regulatory Studies, experts shared their opinion about the establishment of a technology self-regulation system during the conference consisting of two sessions: Sharing Research about the Establishment of a Technology Self-regulation System and Experts’ Discussion.

During her opening speech, STEPI president Mun Mi-ock said, “Our economy and society can take a step forward when the government and the private sector establish a more flexible and innovative regulation system together.” She added, “I hope that this conference establishes a foundation for improving relevant systems and responding to the deepening regulation delay issue due to rapidly evolving technologies and industries.”

Yang Jun-seok, president of the Korea Society for Regulatory Studies, said during his welcoming speech, “Self-regulations are a useful means for an organized non-governmental group to regulate action, which should be utilized for our regulatory tools. I hope that today's conference contributes to establishing a socio-economic background for the active use of self-regulations.”

STEPI senior research fellow Yi Gwang-ho divided the issues into climate change and AI and put emphasis on the necessity of the introduction and vitalization of self-regulations so as to overcome the limitations of a government-initiated top-down regulatory reform, under the title of “Plan to Establish a Technology Self-regulation System: Research Results and Policy Suggestion.”

In particular, he stated the current system should change, pointing out the unprofessionalism of the government, the inefficiency of the government-led prior, one-sided, and stiff regulation system, and the current situation where regulatory issues are constantly increasing with the acceleration of technology development and digital transformation.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the Policy Forum of the National Policy Committee of the National Assembly both online and offline with Baek Hye-ryun, chairperson of the National Policy Committee, at Convention Hall on the 12th floor of CCMM Building located in Yeouido, Seoul on Fri, Dec. 9th at 10 AM, under the theme of “South Korea’s technology-centric Indo-Pacific strategy.”

Starting with an opening speech by Baek Hye-ryun, chairperson of the National Policy Committee, a welcoming speech by STEPI president Mun Mi-ock, and congratulatory messages from Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Jong-min, a member of the National Assembly (assistant administrator of the National Policy Committee), the attendees of the forum discussed establishing national strategies in response to Indo-Pacific strategy, which is considered a global issue, from an integrative perspective.

Baek Hye-ryun, chairperson of the National Policy Committee, proclaimed during her opening speech, stating, “It is hard to say that recent domestic and overseas economic changes are favorable to our economy. We should proactively utilize the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity in order to enhance our competitiveness in the global environment with increasing uncertainty, reorganized resource supply chains, and a variety of emerging trade and commerce issues.”

During her welcoming speech, STEPI president Mun Mi-ock said, “The Biden administration is putting emphasis on the role of the USA in Indo-Pacific and the strengthened cooperation with major countries by suggesting the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. It is very important to develop technology and secure new partner countries so as to stabilize the current situation where Korean supply chain of raw materials is collapsing due to strategic global competition.”

Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Jong-min, a member of the National Assembly, stated through their congratulatory messages that discussions regarding Indo-Pacific Strategy should be done focusing on technology and policies in order to secure a global supply chain and gain the competitive advantages.

Song Chi-woong, director of the STEPI Center for Asia-Pacific Strategy on the Frontier Technology, suggested a technology-centric plan to respond to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and a technological alliance plan to secure national strategic technologies, under the title of “South Korea’s technology-centric Indo-Pacific strategy.”

In particular, he stressed the technological and geopolitical significance of India in the Indo-Pacific era and referred to India as Korea’s top priority partner for the next three decades.

Lastly, he emphasized that the Republic of Korea should actively develop and utilize advanced technologies and respond to climate change and infectious diseases through a technical partnership with major Indo-Pacific countries who share the same values of democracy.

On Fri, Dec. 2, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) had the STEPI-Diplomatic Missions Policy Exchange Meeting with science councilors of diplomatic missions of major countries such as Germany and Finland at Lotte Hotel Seoul. Attendees discussed global political issues and a desirable direction of STEPI’s mid and long-term policy research.

The meeting was held to strengthen the science and technology-centered cooperation network in response to intensifying international competition with rapidly changing technology. Attendees shared their opinion and information about science and technology (digital trade, advanced technology supply network, climate change, etc.) centering Indo-Pacific policies of different countries, under the theme of “Cooperation with the Republic of Korea in Response to Indo-Pacific Strategy.”

They also discussed cooperation plans with South Korea based on their Indo-Pacific policies and South Korea’s international plans for coexistence in science and technology.

Trina Fizzanty, the head of Education Research Center at Social, Science and Cultural Research Institute, the National Innovation Center, Indonesia, visited STEPI on Tuesday, November 15, to talk about the know-how related to R&D and human resource development activities as well as Science and Technology innovation.

The visit was made as a part of an ‘invitation training program for empowerment’ for establishing and managing initiatives to develop Indonesian digital center, which was held from November 15 to 19, aimed at learning the various methods of South Korea for transition to digital technology to promote the functionalities and capacities of PIDI 4.0.

STEPI hosted a STI Data Forum and Korean Enterprise Innovation Survey Symposium, at the council chamber of STEPI, on the 6th floor of Sejong National Research Complex (SNRC), on Thursday, November 10, at 1 PM.

Starting with the opening speech given by Moon Mi-ok, the head of STEPI, the symposium was divided into two sessions, including STI Data Forum and Korean Enterprise Innovation Survey Symposium, which was attended by many specialists in the nation to discuss the possible plans for establishing and managing evident-based composite data system.

Before full swing discussion, there was an awards ceremony for winners in ‘Korean Enterprise Innovation Survey Thesis Contest.’

Lee Jeong-woo, the leader of R&D Innovation Research Team, had the microphone for the first session, ‘STI Data Forum,’ suggested the necessity of establishing a composite data system on the basis of reviewing the range and co-relations between each different surveys progressed on domestic firms in relation with technology and scientific innovation, under the theme, “STI Composite Data Establishment and Management Initiatives.’

Following this was a discussion about issues related with establishment and utilization of a holistic database for Science and Technology, attended by Seo Gyeong-suk, the chief of Administrative Data Management Div. (Statistics Korea), Jeong Yong-chan, the head of Data Analysis & Prediction Center (Korea Information Society Development Institute, KISDI) and Professor, Oh Seung-hwan (Gyeongsang National University) and presided by Hong Seong-ju, the director of R&D Strategies Research Center (STEPI).

In the second session, ‘Korean Enterprise Innovation Survey Symposium,’ the attendants gave presentations mainly around the prize-winning works in ‘Korean Enterprise Innovation Survey Thesis Contest’ held in 2022, in relation with the outcome of research surveys on enterprise innovation, utilization of such surveys and comparison of barometers of innovation with the international standard.

STEPI hosted Procurement Initiatives Seminar 2022, under the theme of Strategic Public Purchasing Plan based on Innovation and Security Demand, co-hosted by Korea Procurement Service (KPS), both online and offline, on Wednesday, November 9, at 2 p.m.

Starting with the opening speech given by Lee Sang-yun, the deputy head of KPS and congratulatory address by Mun Mi-ock, the head of STEPI and Baek Myeong-gi, the head of Korea Instituted of Procurement (KIP), the seminar focused on seeking new directions for public procurement policies corresponding to the increasing demand, such as supporting the growth of new industries and strengthening national security.

Lee Sang-yun, the deputy head of KPS, in his opening speech, said, “The Korea Procurement Service has successfully responded to the national crisis by a strategically stocking up on masks and urea solutions, and has made efforts to use public procurement service in a strategic fashion, including constant expansion of innovative items and initiatives.” “We will also make effort to reinforce our roles aimed at strategic procurement, by such a way as providing aids for procurement enterprises’ advancement to overseas market,” he added.

Mun Mi-ock, the head of STEPI said, in her congratulatory address, that the Korea Procurement Service may have to seek a strategic procurement initiative that can contribute substantially to the national system in relation to the growth and crisis in our country. She, also, emphasized the necessity of R&D activities in public procurement tied with the capital from the civil sector.

Choe Jong-hwa, the director of Future Industry Strategy Research Center of STEPI, said in the 4th session, under the title, ‘R&D Function Reinforcement Initiatives for Civil-Oriented Innovation,’ that, in order to implement a strategic procurement, we must have in place a system for timely procurement that can swiftly respond to the demand of the industry for preemptive purchase or the national demand for security.

The seminar continued with the address from Kim Byeong-geon director of KIP, who stressed the innovative procurement method that can correspond to the national future demand, the address of Jo Yong-rae, a researcher at STEPI, who highlighted strategies for public procurement to cope with a national crisis and Kim Gyu-tae, the vice chief of the Research Center (Yonsei University) who introduced an initiative for strategic procurement based on innovation and security demand, under the theme titled, ‘Initiatives for Public Procurement Reinforced by Financial Investment.’

The Ministry of Science and ICT, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), and the ASEAN Committee of Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) have continued the annual award of ASEAN-ROK Award for Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation for the year 2021 to encourage young scientists and engineers to contribute further on research in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation. The Award was open to professionals pursuing careers in any field of natural sciences or engineering.

The annual award consists of two categories which include the Next ASEAN Innovator, which reaches out to scientists and engineers of ASEAN nationality who aim to establish joint research partnerships with the scientific community in the Republic of Korea, and the ASEAN-ROK STI Pioneer, which targets scientists and engineers of ASEAN nationality who already have prior joint research experience within the Republic of Korea and have the interest to continue and to expand such collaboration. Each awardee will receive prize money of USD 12,000 each, sponsored by The Ministry of Science, Technology and ICT (MSIT) of the Republic of Korea.

We are proud to announce that this year’s winners are Dr.Annie Chai Wai Yeeng (Senior Scientist at Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY), Malaysian) for the NEXT ASEAN Innovator category and Dr.Randi Azmi (Post.Doc at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Indonesian) for the ASEAN-ROK STI Pioneer category.

Congratulations to both winners in their efforts to achieve further research advancement and collaboration in the STI area! 

STEPI and the ASEAN Secretariat will shortly arrange the official awarding ceremony for both winners in early December in South Korea.

We would like to also extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of the participants of this year’s awards. 

We hope to see you again at the next awards.

The Presidential Advisory Council on Education, Science ＆ Technology (PACEST) held the ‘449th Science and Technology Policy Forum’ on and offline, at the Yeouido Central Park, on the 15th floor of Kensington Hotel, in Thursday November 3 at 2 PM, under the theme, ‘K-Inno Strategy.’

The forum, ‘K-Inno Strategy,’ which started with the opening speech from the Moon Mi-ok (head of STEPI) and the congratulatory addresses from the Kim Jin-pyo (Chairman of the National Assembly Baek), Hye-ryeon (committee president of The Political Affairs Committee) and Kim Han-gyu (lawmaker of The Political Affairs Committee) discussed how to respond to the intensifying competition for technology hegemony and how to establish holistic, national strategies and proactive systems for economy, technology and security; the meeting was attended by specialists from all walk of life.

In her opening speech, Moon Mi-ok, the head of STEPI stressed the importance of a Korean-style strategy for innovation, in the fierce competition for technology preemption, saying, “the source of the power of a nation is the pool of core technologies the nation has secured.” She said, “I hope this forum will be the trigger that gives rise to active discussions for developing a holistic and balanced strategy to induce international cooperation and foreign investment in Science and Technology.”

In her congratulatory address, the Committee President Baek Hye-ryeon said, “At the moment, the United States and China are pressing us with limited options where we have to implement some intensive and balanced strategies to minimize the loss of our national interests.” “The National Assembly must take the lead in establishing a national strategy for Korean-style innovation, on the basis of the direction of policy and various opinions suggested in this forum,” she added.

The Chairman of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo and Lawmaker Kim Han-gyu also hoped, in both the video and written congratulatory addresses, that the forum would be a meaningful discussion about deducing a national strategy which can help the nation become unshakable in this technology-hegemonic era.

When the discussion was in full fling, Professor Kim Yang-hee (Daegu University) introduced the first discussion theme, titled ‘Technology-hegemonic Competition and Korean-style Economic & Security Strategy,’ and emphasized that a SWOT analysis, focused on the nation's identity in economy and security, will help to come up with relevant solutions to cope with a range of newly budding issues in the economy and security area, in a principal and coherent fashion.

It continued under the theme, ‘International Cooperation Programs in Science and Technology for Technological Preoccupancy,’ emphasizing the establishment of a full-cycle, global strategy for innovation of Science and Technology, by analyzing internal and external factors such as the intensifying competition for technology hegemony between United States and China.

In a talk presided by Son Seung-woo (director of Korea Institute of Intellectual Property), Lee Seung-ju (chairperson of Economic Security and Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee in Chungang University), Bak Byeong-gwan (head of Fraunhofer's Korean office), Bak Cheon-gyo (head of Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology), Lee Jun (director of Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade), Gwon Seong-hun (investigator in National Assembly Research Service) and Oh Jeong-hun (executive director of LG Display) have discussed how to respond to major global powers’ effort to implement aggressive economic and technology security programs.

STEPI hosted Seoul S&T Forum 2022, jointly with National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) on Monday, October 31, at The Plaza Hotel.

Held under the topic of “The Future of Science and Technology Changed by AI,” this forum was attended by government officials and experts from universities and private corporations to share knowledge and directions of AI based R&D.

In the keynote speech, the Dean of Computer Engineering Dept Marshall Hubert (Carnegie Mellon University) who has an international reputation in AI research field along with professor Gwon In-so (KAIST). proposed their ideas on how to develop and utilize AI technology.

Followed by first session included presentations given by experts from all walk of life looking at NAVER's hyper-scale utilization of AI, future jobs and labor related issues of AI, and estimation and calculation of reliability of AI, as well as discussions and Q&A corners with the audience.

In the second session, attendants had a talk on the development challenges in AI sector, transition of the AI-oriented paradigm in material R&D sector and innovation of bio-medical technology using AI.

The Seoul S&T Forum, which was started by the G20 Summit in Seoul in 2010, celebrates its 9th anniversary, this year. The event was prepared jointly by the host, NST, STEPI and KIST, with the sponsorship of Ministry of Science (MSIT) and ICT.

Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a forum in Baku, the Azerbaijani Republic from Wednesday, October 26 to Thursday, October 27 to propagate the outcome of ‘K-Innovation Partnership Program 2022.’

In this forum the attendants could have a time to share tech commercialization cases in South Korea with experts from the Azerbaijani Republic, as well as a session to demonstrate the nation's first on-line platform fro tech commercialization, which is one of the key achievements of ‘K-Innovation Partnership Program 2022.’

Following the opening speech by Senior Researcher, Kim Eun-ju (STEPI) and a congratulatory address by Ambassador, Lee Eun-yong (Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Azerbaijani Republic) at the start of the forum, officials concerned from both nations exchanged their opinions over cooperation in Science and Technology including the K-innovation program.

Senior Researcher, Kim Eun-ju (STEPI), in her opening speech, expressed her wish for more active cooperation between both nations in Science and Technology, triggered by the K-Innovation project.

In his congratulatory address, Vasif Abbasov (chief of Hight Technology park, ANAS-HTP) said, “I expect the K-Innovation program will have a meaningful influence on our country’s commitment to technological innovation.” “This cooperative program will act as a bridgehead between the two nations,” he added.

Ambassador, Lee Eun-yong, in his congratulatory address, said, “As the 30 year-long ties between South Korea and the Azerbaijani Republic suggest, we have been through constant growth founded on exchanges and collaborations in various sectors. He finished his speech with an emphasis of the importance of the K-Innovation program’s roles in Science and Technology.

The forum continued with briefings on K-innovation program by specialists from South Korea, followed by introduction of South Korean cases related with tech commercialization initiatives, partnerships between the industry and universities, patents, human capital management, and so on.

There were also presentations and demonstrations of empowerment activities of the K-Innovation program, under the title, ‘Strategies for Tech Commercialization Initiatives Improvement in the Azerbaijani Republic,’ ‘Strategies for Development of ANAS-HTP Operation Programs,’ and ‘On-line Platforms for Tech Commercialization in the Azerbaijani Republic.’

The ‘On-line Platforms for Tech Commercialization in the Azerbaijani Republic’ is designed to be utilized as a tool to give information about policies and programs for tech commercialization and patents, as well as to promote the communication between enterprises and research institutes.

STEPI held an academic exchange program targeting 25, 3rd year cadets, in the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy at the 6F main conference room on Tuesday, October, 11.

The program consisted of understanding Korea's space policy environment that is changing along with the leap as one of the 7 global space powers as well as time for the cadets to think about the values of aviation and space such as national security and diplomacy, etc.

Senior researcher Kwon Yoon-yeong (Space Policy Research Center Policy Research Team 1) introduced the facilitation of commercial space activity, domestic and overseas strategies, and national space policies under the topic of "Space resources of national space policies: In-between the truth and something like the truth."

Especially, they discussed the importance of fact-based policy establishment by introducing the status of space resource survey and use based on major space issues such as international space law, space treaty, and moon treaty.

Additionally, Jo Hwang-hee from the Space Policy Research Center also participated to provide mentorship on various questions such as development trends of unmanned aerial systems, satellite development trends, and aviation technology.

STEPI hosted the 26th Korea Living Lab Network Forums with the Kyungnam University WISE LINC 3.0 project group on Friday, October 7, at 2 PM.

Held under the topic of "From local to trans-local: Expansion of living lab-based regional innovation," the forum reviewed methods for connecting and cooperating beyond region and area for local innovation activities that are being carried out in various fields.

Furthermore, the "Trans-local strategy" wherein local innovative activity is connected to obtain experience and facilitate innovation mutually to structure more complex social challenges and problem-solving was discussed.

Senior researcher Seong Ji-eun (STEPI) who was the first speaker investigated the status of local innovative activity and tasks and methods to advance them under the topic of "Trans-local strategy to advance and expand living lab-based regional innovation."

As the second speaker, Chairman Kang Jae-gwan of the KPU (Kyungnam University) introduced examples wherein students, residents, and the public participated in solving the regional trash problem and illegal dumping prevention based on AI that uses technology and human resources from universities under the topic of "A case study of teacher startup through living labs: an AI-based monitoring robot for dumping trash."

Director Seo Jeong-joo (Eisai Korea) followed with his presentation that introduced the "Music Local project," which connects communities and local musicians all over the country through companies' cooperation with various institutions through the topic of "Achievements and tasks of trans-local corporate-social innovation."

Go Dae-gwon (Innosociallab) presented the status of ESG discussion through the topic of "Solving local challenge tasks and corporate ESG activity" to investigate the status of ESG discussion and companies' role and tasks to solve local challenges.

STEPI hosted a workshop for strengthening competence to support the establishment of Peru's science technology and technology prediction system during the 2022 Peru K-Innovation Partnership Program held for 2 days between Tuesday, September 29 and Friday, September 30.

Korean experts in science and technology planning participated together with 20 people from Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica (CONCYTEC) researchers, and officials from the academe and industry to share Korea's experience in science technology policies, technology prediction plans, and technology prediction methodology.

On September 29, Song Chi-woong, director of the Asia-Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Strategy (STEPI), introduced Korea's Big Push strategy on science and technology policies under the topic of "Development of Korea's science and technology policy."

During the following presentation, Professor Lee Jong-il (SUNY Korea) shared the backgrounds of science and technology prediction and R&D management with the topic of "Technology prediction methodology for policy development and execution."

In the debate that followed afterward, participants had a Q&A discussion with the topics of Korea's strategy for securing manufacturing technology, methods for R&D and human resource development, public spending on science and technology policies, R&D investment compared to GDP, and mutual interaction between industry officials in the industry and academe.

On Friday, September 30, senior researcher Im Hyeon (KISTEP) introduced Korea's technology prediction examples such as the Delphi method, etc., which is a key method in technology prediction methodology, with the topic of "Korea's technology prediction activities and examples."

Furthermore, Professor Park Se-hee (Deliverdy, Co. Ltd., former KIAT international cooperation team leader) shared Korea's examples related to the purpose, procedure, and execution of industrial technology roadmaps under the topic of "Korea's technological roadmap that leads to industrial development."

Discussed during the in-depth debate on technology prediction were methods for securing technological superiority according to the level of technological development, connection between technology prediction and science and technology policy development policies, methods for drawing social acceptance during the technological roadmap establishment planning stage, as well as methods for cooperating with companies, etc.

STEPI hosted the Korea-Laos Summit and Workshop for Science Technology Master Plan Establishment in Vientiane, Laos with the Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) from Friday, September 23 to Tuesday, September 29.

As part of the "K-Innovation Partnership Program with Lao PDR 2020-2022," the event was held to discuss the establishment of the first national science and technology master plan establishment in Laos, participated in by 40 experts from the MTC and key departments and professionals and designed and operated as a practical workshop after the summit.

During the "Korea-Laos Summit" held on Friday, September 23, Korea's research team, Minister Boveingkham Vongdara of the MTC, technology innovation chairman Soumana Chulamany, and related officials participated to pledge the success of the task through active cooperation and support.

During the "Workshop for Science Technology Master Plan Establishment” held on Monday, September 26, Laos researchers announced the "Laos Science and Technology Master Plan" draft prepared with the help of STEPI and Korean researchers.

MTC public workers, local experts, and Korean researchers in charge of the master plan took part in the "Workshop for Science Technology Master Plan Establishment" from Tuesday, September 27 to Wednesday, September 28.

On Thursday, September 29, they visited the National University of Laos Socioeconomic Policy Research Center, the Korean Embassy in Laos, etc. to introduce the status of Korea and KOICA Laos office, etc. as well as science and technology cooperation between Korea and Laos through the K-Innovation Laos project and received the pledge of active interest and support for cooperation from each institution.

The Sejong National Leadership Committee under the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Studies (NRC) hosted the 46th Sejong National Leadership Forum at 1:30 PM on Thu, Sep. 22 at the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK) located at Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, under the topic of 'Blue Ocean: Going to the site of Marine Biological Research'.

The forum was hosted by the NRC and STEPI to share experience on how to observe and study the research process with the participation of completely different researchers on specific sites. Kim Min-seop, team leader of MABIK, and researchers who study marine organisms up-close participated to facilitate understanding of the research environment of marine biological resources by realizing the current status and changes of marine biological resources to derive a forecast and preservation methods.

First, Lee Dae-seong, director of planning and coordination (MABIK), introduced the role of the institute which is responsible for establishing the foundations for the marine biological industry ecosystem through strategic procurement, preservation, and the advancement of managing marine biological resources to achieve a country with strong marine biological resource and the diversification of marine bio-bank functions under the title of 'The Role of MABIK'.

Furthermore, Kim Min-seop, leader of the research strategy team, introduced recent issues related to marine organisms such as the importance of securing, preserving, and knowing the status of marine biological resources, climate change, as well as the research site and the attitude of being a researcher under the title of 'The present and the future of marine biological research'.

Moon Mi-ock, presdient of STEPI, held a meeting with Yigal Erlich, CEO of the YOZMA group, and Mordechai Sheves, previous vice chairman of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, under the topic of 'The Future of the Korean Bio Industry' on Wed, Sep. 21.

Mordechai Sheves and Yigal Erlic who visited Korea as speakers for the World Knowledge Forum discussed the bio industry ecosystem and the process of periodic evolution of Korea and Israel.

The main topics of the meeting was starting a bio business venture, development of drugs using AI, and the role of universities and research institutes for basic research.

Especially, Yigal Erlich emphasized creating an environment for angel investment is essential for the development of Korea's bio industry, and it is time to ponder on how to nurture start-ups based on new technologies such as AI and digital health.

The STEPI held a side event in Bangkok, Thailand in ‘UN GSSD EXPO 2022' with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), and the Mekong Institute (MI) on Tue, Sep. 13.

50 experts from international institutions such as the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Thailand, Ministry of National Development Planning of the Republic of Indonesia (BAPPENAS), Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), UNDP, UNOSSC, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) gathered in the side event to discuss the role of science and technology for the Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF Nexus) in the Mekong river region.

Moon Mi-ock, president of STEPI said "As the Korea-UNDP cooperation project continues on for more than 10 years, I believe techonlogy will play a great role in the 3rd stage project based on the previous 2 stages for WEF Nexus activity", and emphasized that "STPEI will continue to share science and technology advancements for the development of the Mekong river region."

During the keynote speech that followed right after, Park Hwan-il, director of Division of Global Innovation Strategy Research (STEPI) announced the concept of the WEF Nexus and explained related Korean projects under the title of 'The significance of the WEF Nexus approach in the Mekong river region and suggesting the role of science and technology'.

Suriyan Vichitlekarn, MI Executive Director, stressed the significance of South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC) as a solution to the difficulties that the WEF Nexus is experiencing due to COVID-19 under the title of 'The significance of the WEF Nexus and Mekong river region in the perspective of recovery from COVID-19 and South-South and triangular cooperation'.

The panel debate hosted by Gang Gyung-gu, economic officer for UNESCAP, was participated by major project leaders in the Asia region to discuss; integrated development of Indonesian villages under step 2 Korea-UNDP project; Korea's WEF Nexus initiative; Thailand's Rice NAMA project; WE4F initiative, etc. related to the WEF Nexus, technology application, cooperation between multiple interest parties, and South-South and triangular cooperation.

On Friday, July 29, at 2 PM, STEPI and the KOFST (Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies, President Lee Woo-il) jointly held the 448th Science and Technology Policy Forum, both online and in person, at the Grand hall of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Center.

 Under the topic of “The Outlook for the Downsizing Graduate Schools in Science and Engineering and Our Strategy,” the forum involved domestic experts sharing issues and discussing countermeasures on downsizing graduate schools in science and engineering as population declines.

STEPI President Mun Mi-ock said in her opening ceremony, “We are having difficulties fostering talents in science and engineering, due to the declining school-age population. I hope today’s forum can become a starting point to raise issues on the matter and come up with countermeasures from different perspectives.”

Park Gi-beom, Senior Research Fellow (STEPI), made a presentation to explain the realistic situation where school-age population declines and the looming crisis in graduate schools, based on an analysis about the number of undergraduate and graduate schools in science and engineering, under the theme of “The Outlook for the Downsizing Graduates in Science and Engineering and its Impact.”

Park Gi-beom, a STEPI senior research fellow, emphasized that quantitative decreases of graduates in science and engineering will be found in local universities and science majors onwards and this will lead to qualitative declines, arguing that “Master’s and PhD programs will keep decreasing from 2025 and the programs are expected to almost halve by 2048.“

Accordingly, the total number of graduates will halve by 2040, compared to the level of today, therefore only 10 to 20 universities will be able to maintain their Master’s programs.

In response, Gi-beom Park, a STEPI senior research fellow, highlighted that the current R&D system should be transformed from a graduates-based system to a research teams-based system and also insisted the urgency of policy making for structural reforms in universities and specialized measures for graduate schools.

He especially highlighted that structural reforms in graduate schools and an effective R&D paradigm shift are required, even though policies for graduate schools have been excluded from the discussions on structural reforms in universities due to their autonomy.

On Thursday, July 28, at 3:30 PM, the Sejong National Leadership Committee under the Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences held the 44th Sejong National Leadership Forum at a Multi-purpose Hall on the lobby floor in Sejong National Research Complex on the topic of “Looking Deeper into our Policies.”

Joined by co-authors of a book titled “The Humble Witnesses,” including Professor Im So-yeon (Dong-a university), Kim Yeon-hwa, Seong Han-ah and Jang Ha-won, the forum took place through conversations and discussions between the authors and the audience.

The forum supervised by STEPI was prepared to demonstrate why it is necessary for researchers to participate in completely unrelated research to their study and observe how the research is carried on.

 ○ In addition, the forum aims to improve the understanding on relationships between society and science technologies, by discussing the process of observing and recording observation methods from an object point of view. 

Professor Im So-yeon and other co-authors explained that knowledge would not be limited to the data solely collected by the lab in charge, demonstrating new possibilities that seemingly irrelevant research topics and methodology can provide.

The forum has showed that research topics which are not usually perceived as ‘scientific’ in general (Study methods of migratory birds, meridian massage, mothers learning about autism, plastic surgery) have a variety of connections with science technologies.

The book titled “The Humble Witnesses: involved in migratory birds, meridian massage, mothers learning about autism and plastic surgery” is a book for the general public containing the accomplishments of on-site research conducted by applying the anthropological methodology of “Participant Observation” for the first time, after the concept of “Experimental Research” in Science and Technology Studies (STS) was introduced in academic circles.

Meanwhile, the Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, a public entity under the Prime Minister, launched the Sejong National Leadership Committee which was joined by 26 national policy research institutes in 2018 and has hosted a forum on a monthly basis. There, heads of Ministries, local governments, public institutes and government-funded research institutes join to improve the leadership of decision-makers, so that they can deal with major national issues in a wise manner.

In addition, this forum has been supervised by STEPI since the second half of 2022 and has been held to improve leadership in making decisions on national policies through three major approaches, namely: manifest, practical, and on-site approaches.

Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a capacity-building training in the form of a hybrid seminar for the 2022 Korea - Ghana International Technology Innovation Cooperation Project (K-Innovation)* from July 26 (Tue.) to 28 (Thu.) with around 50 science and technology innovation-related public officials and experts from the Republic of Ghana.

The capacity-building training was organized as part of the K-Innovation project's second year (2021–2023) with a goal to derive implications for the master plan development for the Ghana Innovation Research Commercialization Center through an analysis of the science and technology innovation status of Ghana and case studies of the relevant Korean organizations according to the local conditions in Ghana.

The training was kicked off with an opening address by K-Innovation Senior Advisor and former Vice President of University of Seoul Oh Myung-do and a congratulatory speech by Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation of Ghana. On this day, seven Korean organizations, including Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs, Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, Korea Technology Finance Corporation, Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology, National Research Council of Science & Technology, and National Research Foundation of Korea, shared Korea’s experiences in science and technology innovation.

Korean experts introduced the history, detailed programs, and experiences of Korea’s leading science and technology innovation organizations, and derived implications and suggestions for Ghana considering the country’s science and technology innovation status.

On Wednesday, July 20, at 2 PM, STEPI held the 25th Korean Network of Living Labs Forum at the Onnuri Hall, inside Star Center of Jeonju University.

Hosted by Jeonju University, the Jeonju Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency (JICA) and Jeonbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center, supervised by STEPI, the Korean Network of Living Labs (KNoLL) and platform solving local problems in Jeonbuk and sponsored by Eroun.net, the forum took place both online and in person, discussing the topic of “Methods of Dealing With Vacant Houses in Communities on the Verge of Extinction.”

Song Wi-jin, chairman of Policy Committee (KNoLL), made the first presentation titled “Role of the University in Addressing Local Challenges,” highlighting the role of universities as a platform in supporting social and industry innovations in an integrated manner, to address local challenges.

The second presentation under the theme of “Living Lab Experiment and Project in Old Downtown of Busan” was given by Professor Oh Gwang-seok, head of Regional Cooperation Center (The National Korea Maritime and Ocean University), raising awareness on social and structural issue of vacant houses and introduced ways to utilize the vacant houses by building social capital.

CEO Jo Kwon-neung (Jibang Co., Ltd.) delivered the third presentation under the theme of “Community Regeneration through Cooperation with Local Management Businesses”, to introduce a local management business which is working together with the local community as one team.

CEO Guk Hyeon-myeong (Between 0 and 0) delivered the last presentation under the theme of “Trend of Vacant Houses in Rural Areas and Potential Utility Values” to introduce the current trend of vacant houses in rural and fishery communities, and ways to make use of their potential value in the face of community extinction.

During the debate session chaired by Professor Han Dong-sung (Jeonju University, Chairman of University Network of Living Labs), Director Kim Man-seok (Community Seum Social Cooperative), CEO Park Yeon-mi (Irae Farm), Senior research fellow Sunb Ji-eun (STEPI) and Professor Lee Ji-suk (the Department of Space Design Convergence Technology in Kunsan University) gathered to discuss the need of countermeasures and projects to deal with vacant houses, which are part of the locally encountered challenges.

On Thursday, July 14, at 3 PM, STEPI held the 3rd Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Network of Living Labs Forum at the Maru Zone of Ulsan Center for Creative Economy and Innovation.

Hosted by Ulsan Technopark and Ulsan Network of Living Labs, and supervised by STEPI, the forum took place under the topic of “Living Lab as a Platform for Both Industry-Social Innovations” to seek ways to promote industry and society innovations across the local community.

Senior research fellow Seong Ji-eun (STEPI) made the first presentation to emphasize the need of new perspectives on local innovation policy, under the topic of “Living Lab as a Platform Both for Industry-Social Innovations.”

The second presentation given by Jung Hye-young, Director of Science and Technology Promotion Office (Ulsan Technopark), was under the topic of “Significance of the Living Lab Platform set up by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups,” discussing the significance of creating the living lab platform and its future plan.

Secretary General Kim In-ho (Ulsan Network of Living Labs) delivered the third presentations to introduce the activities of the Ulsan Network of Living Labs, to create convergence platform for industry and social innovation and its future plan, under the topic of “Plan for Building Industry-Social Innovation Convergence Platform.”

During the debate session chaired by Song Wi-jin, Chairman of Policy Committee (KNoLL), Vice chairman Kim Sang-jun (Cooperation Center at Gyeongnam University), Nam Byeong-hyuk, Head of Data Industry Team (Busan Technopark), Professor Lee Seung-ho (UNIST), and Jeong Yeon-jin, Head of External Cooperation (World Food Co., Ltd. Murgerbon) gathered to discuss the need for changing local innovation policies and working on projects.

A discussion took place in preparation for the transition to the national innovation system centering on science and technology and in search of a new direction for the regional innovation system.

On Thursday, June 30, at 2 PM, STEPI and Innovative Cluster Association jointly held the 447th Science and Technology Policy Forum, both online and in-person, at the Seoul Global Center International Conference Room (9th floor). 

Under the topic of “Asking the New Direction of Regional Innovation System: Issues and Policy Tasks of Regional Innovation System in Line with the Transition to the National Innovation System,” the forum was attended by experts who shared issues and discussed countermeasures to find core agenda for the new administration’s regional innovation policy and execution plans.

STEPI President Miock Mun emphasized in her opening speech, “The roles of regions are expanding in our attempt to secure the momentum for national innovative growth in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic and global competition for technology hegemony. Especially, there are new approaches to creating regional innovation strongholds through enhanced autonomy and sustainability of regional innovation and strengthened connectivity among regional innovation resources.” 

She expects comprehensive and practical discussions on the issues and policy tasks of regional innovation system that encompass laws, systems, governance, business planning, and cluster through this forum. 

After the opening speech by President Mun, followed by a welcoming addresses by Taeseog Oh, 1st Vice-minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Yang Seung-woo, president of the Innovation Policy Cluster Association. Professor Jongmin Yun (Chungbuk University), gave the first presentation of the forum, titled "Enactment of the Act on Regional Science and Technology Innovation and Reformation Plan for Regional Innovation System Governance." 

The second presentation was given in two parts: the first was by Jongin Choi, vice-president of the Industry-University Affairs (Hanbat University), titled “New Administration's Transition to Regional Innovation Policy and Countermeasures”; the second was by Yeongju Go, president of the Daejeon Institute of Science & Technology for Enterprise & People, titled “Reformation of Planning System for Regional R&D Projects.”

The last presentation was given by senior research fellow Deoksun Lim (STEPI), titled “Issues of Regional Innovation Cluster Policies and Finding a New Direction.”

In the ensuing debate session, experts in various fields gathered to discuss about the issues of regional innovation system and policy tasks.

A discussion to take place with regard to the direction of medium-to-long term policies and foundation of a space development organization in order to secure the upper hand in future national space development and the significance of the second launch of Nuri rocket.

On Tuesday, June 28, at 2 PM, the STEPI Space Policy Research Center (SPREC) and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) jointly held the KOFST-SPREC Space Policy Forum, both online and in-person, on the 12th floor of the KOFST building in Seoul.

Themed “The Significance of the 2nd Launch of Nuri and Direction of Future-oriented National Space Development: How Do We Secure the Upper Hand in Aerospace, Future Societies, and Space Policy?” the forum was attended by experts in Korea who shared issues and discussed countermeasures with regard to the direction that should be taken by our national space development policy.

The forum kicked off with the welcome address by KOFST President Lee Woo Il and consisted of presentations and debates on R&D, industry, administration/government organizations, future, and utilization including the significance of the second launch of Nuri and governance of national space development.

 The first presentation was given by Jun Lee, chief of the Division of Strategy and Planning (KOFST), titled "The Significance of the 2nd Launch of Nuri and Direction of Future-oriented National Space Development." He talked about the significance of independently acquiring the technology to launch projectiles through the launch of Nuri and medium- to long-term direction to achieve the national vision of space development.

Hyeongjun An, head of Research Team 2 (SPREC), gave a presentation titled "Issues on Governance Reformation of Future-oriented Space Development" and explored key points regarding the establishment of the Aerospace Administration and direction of development for establishing an aerospace administration.

During the panel discussion session, experts in various fields participated in heated discussions on the directions that should be taken by our integrated space development with regard to R&D, industrial advancement, balanced development, future, and utilization.

A policy research center that will administer policy planning and research will be opened in order to strengthen the technology and innovation competence of small- to medium as well as venture enterprises.

On Monday, June 22, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) announced that STEPI has been designated as the "institute for SMEs and venture enterprises technology innovation policy research" with the "Small- to Medium and Venture Technology Innovation Policy Research Center" (Policy Research Center) established within STEPI.

The Policy Research Center was designated as an "institute for SMEs' technology advancement" in accordance with Article 7 of the Act of the Promotion of Technology Innovation of SMEs. The Minister of MSS has the power to choose an institute for technology promotion that meets the requirements among public or government-funded research institutes in order to support the promotions of SMEs' technology innovation efficiently.

STEPI has performed not only policy research tasks in SME technology innovation but also a wide range of fields in relation to startups, venture enterprises, and digital transition. With the designation, STEPI is now eligible for research funding from the MSS, which is necessary for conducting stable and efficient research on policies.

The Policy Research Center is organizing a team to conduct research and investigation on SME technology innovation more methodically including analysis of performance of government R&D support such as KOSBIR and proposal on improvement measures, establishment of direction and strategy of technology innovation policy to foster innovative SMEs, and study and analysis of domestic and international systems and statistics.

On Friday, June 10, at 2 PM, STEPI jointly held the "Policy Seminar on Smart Manufacturing Innovative Strategy in Digital Economy" with the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Business Association (President Cheolgyu Kang) in COEX.

This seminar was arranged in line with the 11th Smart Tech Korea 2022, a convergence business exhibition of advanced industrial technologies including smart manufacturing and metaverse. 

The event kicked off with an opening address by vice-president Seungwoo Yang (STEPI) and a welcoming address by president Cheolgyu Kang (Smart Manufacturing Innovation Business Association), followed by presentations on innovation strategies for various areas of smart manufacturing drawn from STEPI’s "Smart Manufacturing Open Innovation Lab."

Vice-president Yang (STEPI) said, “It is important to gather the voices of those in the fields who experience firsthand the impending digital economy and arrange prompt yet effective countermeasures,” and emphasized the significance of the seminar.

The first presentation was given by Yunhwan Oh, chief of the Office of Future and Social Innovation Research, titled "Ways to Support the Digital Transitions of Smart Manufacturing-based Small-to-medium Enterprises," and proposed the "construction of an accessible, exploitable smart manufacturing testbed to support the digital transitions of small-to-medium manufacturing companies."

In the following presentation, junior research fellow Myeongjin Song (STEPI) introduced the "Method for Manufacturing Data Sharing-Trade-Vitalization."

“As the importance of manufacturing data is arising in the course of transition to future vehicles in the automobile industry, one of the core manufacturing industries in Korea, we need to organize a data sharing ecosystem among various corporations within the value chain” junior research fellow Yun Jeong-seop (STEPI) stressed during his presentation titled "Smart Manufacturing Trend and Vitalization Plan for Automobile Industry," the last presentation of the event.

On Friday, May 27, at 2 PM, STEPI held the 22nd Science & Technology + Social Innovation Forum in the sixth-floor conference room of the office building. The event took place both online and in person.

Hosted by the Korea Association of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and supervised by STEPI and the Impact Alliance, a social venture council, the forum took place under the theme of "Discussing Social Responsibilities of Science and Technology." The participants discussed the "value shift" of science and technology research and innovation activities from the perspectives of industry-academia-research topics.

Professor Hee-je Park (Kyung Hee University, president of STS) made the first presentation titled "Acknowledging Social Responsibility and Tasks of Scientists Perceived through a Local Problem Resolving Project," followed by Professor Taehyun Sung (Hanyang University)'s presentation titled "Social Responsibility and Task of Science and Technology Perceived from the Viewpoint of an Engineering Researcher."

The third presentation, titled "Social Responsibility and Task of Science and Technology Perceived from the Viewpoint of a Researcher from a Government-funded Research Institute, was given by Donghun Shin, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, followed by Jaehyeon Kim, policy chairperson of the Impact Alliance, in his presentation, "Social Responsibility and Task of Science and Technology Perceived from the Viewpoint of a Social Venture Enterprise."

During the debate session chaired by Wijin Song, an honorary research fellow of STEPI; Jieun Sung, a STEPI senior research fellow, Professor Dugap Lee (Seoul National University), Bohyeon Lee (CEO of Nubiz), Professor Eunkyung Lee (Jeonbuk National University), and Jongmin Lee (UST) gathered to discuss the value shift and social responsibility of science and technology.

STEPI and I&TM KAIST signed a joint research MOU on science, technology, and security and other related fields at 14:00 on Thursday, May 28, on the 6th floor of SETPI conference room.

Recognizing that comprehensive research studies for the advancement and innovation of science and technology are imperative for national advancement, the two institutions agreed to join forces for win-win growth in line with the signing of this MOU and to hold a joint research forum on technology and security and establish national strategies on related fields. 

On Tuesday, May 15, at 2 PM, STEPI and the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) jointly held the 466th Science and Technology Policy Forum, both online and in-person, in Schubert Hall (31st floor) of President Hotel, Seoul.

Under the topic of “National Strategy for Securement of Economic Security and Technological Sovereignty: Beyond Frontier Strategy,” the forum involved experts in Korea sharing issues and discussing countermeasures on how the "current fragmentary strategic direction prepared for global competition over technological hegemony" can retain its coherence and be promoted.

STEPI President Miock Mun made her opening speech, followed by a welcoming address by INSS President Kijung Kim. Experts from various fields, including politics and diplomacy, trade and industry, laws and legal system, and science and technology, also gave their presentations.

In President Mun's opening address, she emphasized that now is the time to implement a national strategy that incorporates science and technology, trade and industry, and diplomacy and security in order to secure national core interests, and expressed her desire that “this forum would be a place of sharing various viewpoints of experts, as well as holding cohesive discussions on national strategies.”

INSS President Kim stressed that the conception of national security is expanding to science and technology and economy, going beyond the conventional military security, and added, “We must pursue a national strategy after building a comprehensive system that encompasses diplomacy and security, as well as science and technology, trade and industry, and laws and legal system.”

With politics and diplomacy as the first topic in the presentations, Professor Wanghui Lee (Ajou University) discussed "the US-China economic security strategies and how Korea and the US can build a comprehensive strategic alliance," and explained the US-China competition in advanced technologies and their foreign affairs and national security strategies.

Under trade and industry, research fellow Kyunghoon Kim (KITA GVC Industrial Analysis TF) gave his presentation about "Korea’s GVC strategy countering the global supply crisis," and described the paradigm shift in the global supply chain and structural issues with Korea's supply chain.

As for laws and legal system, Legislative Research Officer Sunghoon Kwon (National Assembly Research Service) explained about "improving the Korean legal system to foster and safeguard advanced industries" and introduced the policy tasks and legislation trends of the Yoon administration.

The last presentation by Seoin Baek, head of the Office of S&T Diplomatic Policy Research (STEPI), covered the science and technology field under the title of "Direction of Science and Technology Policy of Korea for Securing Technological Sovereignty." The presentation discussed the technological sovereignty securing strategies of the US, Japan, and the EU, and emphasized the necessity of Korea securing an open-type innovative sovereignty strategy.

In a debate session chaired by Hwanil Park, director of the Division of Global Innovation Strategy Research (STEPI), Byungwon Park, a senior research fellow at STEPI; Hyeongdong Lee, head of the Center for Science & Technology & Cyber Security (INSS); Hyungjun Kim, director of the Post-Silicon Semiconductor Institute (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology); and Hyeonsil An, director of the AI Economy Research Institute (Hankyung) deliberated on cohesive strategies to prepare for global competition over technological hegemony, including measures to ensure economic security and technological sovereignty.

On Wednesday, May 4, at 10 AM, STEPI held the 2022 STEPI Global Symposium in commemoration of its 35th anniversary at the THE PLAZA Seoul Grand Ballroom. The event took place both online and in person.

Under the theme “For Another Jump: New Directions and Challenges of Korean Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policies,” international experts gathered together to propose new directions for the transition to STI policies, share knowledge, and find countermeasures for critical issues that must be considered throughout the policy implementation stage.

STEPI President Miock Mun made her opening speech, followed by congratulatory remarks from Chairperson Wonwook Lee of Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, Congresswoman Hanjung Kim of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Minister Hyesook Lim of Science and ICT, as well as welcoming address from Chairperson Haegu Jung of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Sciences. 

Dr. Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, delivered the keynote speech titled "Korea’s Next Science & Technology Challenges." The symposium focused on two primary topics: New Directions and Innovation Systems; and New Challenges and Emerging Technology. 

On Tuesday, May 3, at 11 AM, STEPI and the Public Procurement Service (PPS) gathered in the fifth-floor conference room of the STEPI building to enter into a business agreement to facilitate an efficient and organized collaboration for studying the field of public procurement.

The two agreed that comprehensive research on innovation is vital to national development and corresponded to organically teaming up across the entire research efforts on procurement.

In accordance with the agreement, the two organizations will collaborate on the following to contribute to a mutually collaborative relationship and development of procurement innovation: (a) planning and implementation of research projects for procurement innovation, (b) partnering in sharing, examining, and making procurement-related data, and (c) organizing joint events, such as seminars and workshops, to build research competence.

On Monday, May 2, STEPI hosted a commemorative event in the sixth-floor conference room of its office building to mark its 35th anniversary on Saturday, May 7. STEPI board and staff members attended the occasion.

Awarding of Excellence Reports, Achievement Awards, and STEPlan took place to encourage staff members with exceptional research and work performances.

STEPI was founded 35 years ago with an aim of contributing to the making of national science and technology policies and development of science and technology through research and analyses of science and technology activities, as well as various issues stemming from economic societies associated with science and technology.

The institute was initially named the Center for Science and Technology Policy under the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in 1987. In May 1993, it was reorganized under the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, until it was renamed the Science and Technology Policy Institute and officially launched as a research institute in May 1999.

STEPI and INSS signed a joint research MOU on science, technology, and security and other related fields at 15:00 on Thursday, April 28, on the 14th floor of INSS conference room.

Recognizing that comprehensive research studies for the advancement and innovation of science and technology are imperative for national advancement, the two institutions agreed to join forces for win-win growth in line with the signing of this MOU and to hold a joint research forum on technology and security and establish national strategies on related fields. 

In accordance with this agreement, the two institutions will collaborate on the following to contribute to their mutual relationship and the advancement of science, technology, and innovation in the fields of industry-university-institution-government-national security: 1. obtain interdisciplinary science, technology, and security policy agenda and issues covering both national security as well as national science, technology, and innovation and determine the direction of national security policy; 2. make the security agenda public through a joint research forum and collaborate to develop the issues; 3. share information on "foreign affairs and national security" and "science, technology, and innovation" and expand the consumer base; and 4. strengthen the network with experts in "foreign affairs and national security" and "science, technology, and innovation" and build the foundation for joint research.

STEPI (Science & Technology Policy Institute) hosted the commencement seminar of the 2022 Korea-Indonesia K-Innovation Partnership Program on Thursday, April 7, via Zoom video conference. 

 This event was participated in by over 125 government officials and experts from various departments affiliated with K-Innovation and BRIN of Indonesia in order to review the collaboration efforts made until now and to discuss the direction and substance of the program to follow this year.

Entering its 5th year this year, this program has a number of joint research teams consisting of Korean and Indonesian research engineers, each tackling one of the following topics: 1. Role of BRIN in Green Growth Policy; 2. Development of Indonesian STI Human Capital; and 3. Improvement of BRIN Operating System for Mission-oriented Research and Innovation.

The seminar began with the opening address by Hwanil Park, division director of Global Innovation Strategy Research at STEPI, and welcome speech by Nur Tri Aries, Director General of BRIN. They were then followed by a presentation given by principal investigator Jongseon Kim, a research fellow at STEPI, and Dr. Dudi Hidayat, a project manager from BRIN, titled "Introduction to the K-Innovation Partner Program and 2022 Indonesia Policy Advisory Project Plan."

In his opening address, division director Park emphasized the importance of new governance of BRIN that will inevitably follow after the substantial reorganization of science, technology, and innovation of Indonesia. “I hope this consultation project will bring changes to Indonesia’s science, technology, and innovation and strengthen the country's competence,” he added.

In her welcome speech, Director General Nur Tri Aries announced the successful delivery of improvement measures of the STI think tank derived from the "Korea-Indonesia K-Innovation Partnership Program," design of state R&D assessment program, and proposals for the amendment of scientific technology-related laws and regulations to the Indonesian government. She also expressed her deepest gratitude for previous accomplishments.

The first session of the seminar was opened by Prof. Giseok Gwon (Hanbat National University) and his joint research team on the topic "The Role of BRIN in Green Growth Policy."

For the second session, Prof. Seongsu Kim (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) and his team presented the current standings of Korea and Indonesia on the "Development of Indonesian STI Human Capital" and forthcoming research plans.

Lastly, director Yeongju Go of the Daejeon Institute of Science & Technology for Enterprise & People and her team presented on the importance of research on "Improving the BRIN Operating System for Mission-oriented Research and Innovation."

The 120th session of OECD CSTP took place for 3 days last 5-7 April. Topics discussed include “S&T Policy 2025,” which will determine the direction of future science, technology, and innovation policies, planning of the next minister-level meeting after the 2015 Daejeon meeting, and review and selection of the 2023-2024 research project theme. 

STEPI (Science & Technology Policy Institute) hosted the year 2 commencement briefing on the master plan for the establishment and operation of Ghana GIRC and local interviews on Monday, April 4 via online video conference.

 This briefing was held as part of the year 2 project of the Korea-Ghana K-Innovation Partnership Program ("K-Innovation Program"), consisting of introduction of GIRC Center and discussions based on Korea’s experience in the following 8 fields: governance, internal systems, technology financing / investment attraction, R&D planning / technology development, technology transfer and commercialization, business incubation, industry-university-institute collaboration, and task management.

This was the second year when high-ranking government officials affiliated with science, technology, and innovation in Ghana gathered in one place to deliberate on GIRC’s current and future operations to plan and execute the innovative research commercialization policies of Ghana in depth.

The briefing kicked off with the opening address by Myeongdo Oh, senior adviser of the K-Innovation Program and former vice-chancellor of the University of Seoul, with the principal investigator of the program, Wangdong Kim, and a senior research fellow at STEPI as hosts.

“The GIRC Center understands the significance of innovative research and commercialization in the advancement of Ghana as the central policies of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation of Ghana. I hope, with all the experts from both countries gathered here today, that we can successfully devise a master plan for the GIRC Center by meticulously exploring Korea’s past and Ghana’s present,” Vice-chancellor Oh said in his address. 

He also expressed hope that the K-Innovation Program continues from last year to invigorate collaborations, both in private and public sectors, in the fields of science, technology, and innovation between Korea and Ghana and open the door to establishing and executing the GIRC Center master plan. 

Afterward, a presentation was given by STEPI senior research fellow Wangdong Kim, who described the general condition of year 2 of the program. Oliver Boachie from the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation of Ghana presented on the "Present and Future of the GIRC Center."

 It was followed by Q&A wherein domestic experts in the 8 fields discussed support policies and major programs in accordance with the current status of the GIRC Center.

STEPI (Science & Technology Policy Institute) hosted on Tuesday, March 29, the Year 1 Commencement Seminar of Operational Programs of ANAS-HTP in Azerbaijan: Implementation and Capacity Building via Zoom video conference. 

 As part of the K-Innovation Partnership Program, the theme of this 2022 seminar was Improvement and Capacity Building of Technology Commercialization of ANAS-HTP in Azerbaijan through Consultation.

 The seminar began with the opening address by Miock Mun, president of STEPI, followed by congratulatory messages from Irada Huseynova, vice-president of ANAS, Eunyong Lee, ambassador of Korea to Azerbaijan, and Ramzi Teymurov, ambassador of Azerbaijan to Korea, and by the welcome address of Vasif Abbasov, General Director of ANAS-HTP. Over 40 Korea-Azerbaijan technology innovation experts and stakeholders participated in the event.

“Scientific and technological innovations play a critical role in economic transition. I hope this program plays a big role in systems improvement and capacity building for ANAS-HTP in Azerbaijan,” President Moon said in her opening address.  

Vice-president Irada Huseynova of ANAS praised the successful economic growth achieved by Korea and expected STEPI to play an important role in Azerbaijan making breakthroughs in scientific technology. Ambassador Eunyong Lee expressed in his message his hope for the collaboration based on mutual respect between STEPI, which was founded in 2018, and ANAS-HTP to become a solid foundation for advancement of relationship between the two nations.

Ambassador Ramzi Teymurov commended the past 30 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and Azerbaijan, noting that this collaboration will be an opportunity for the two nations to become even closer. Lastly, General Director Vasif Abbasov believed that the experiences of Korea would have significant impacts on the program operations of ANAS-HTP including its technology commercialization and business incubation services.

Senior research engineer Eunju Kim gave the introduction to the "2022-2024 Azerbaijan International Technological Innovation Collaboration Program," with Bunyamin Seyidov, head of International Collaboration, giving a presentation on the Performance and Significance of Collaboration between STEPI and ANAS-HTP.

Afterward, Vugar Babayev, director of ANAS-HTP, gave a presentation on the Technology Commercialization of Azerbaijan and Current Standing of ANAS-HTP Technology Commercialization Program. Sujeong Son, senior research fellow at STEPI, talked about the Role and Structure of Technology Commercialization. Prof. Isa Gasimov (Baku Engineering University) gave a presentation on the System and Policy of Technology Commercialization in Azerbaijan.

Lastly, Prof. Jongin Choi (Hanbat National University) gave a presentation on Korea’s Major University/Institution Technology Commercialization Programs and Their Implications followed by Q&A. He also shared his consultation research and business plan for 2022.

STEPI, together with OECD CSTP and experts in the working party and the Multilateral Collaboration Officer at the Ministry of Science and ICT, hosted the OECD Experts Council on 28 March. They shared the progress and performance of important ongoing 2021-2022 tasks performed by CSTP and working parties (TIP, NESTI, GSF, BNCT, and Space Forum) and discussed new projects for 2023-2024.  

On March 24 (Thursday) at 2 PM, the Science & Technology Policy Institute and the Patent Information Promotion Center signed an MOU in the central conference room (5th floor, STEPI headquarters) to share big data on patents and conduct joint research.

Recognizing the importance of comprehensive research on scientific and technological development and innovation for national development, the two organizations agreed to collaborate for win-win growth by sharing patent activities in the private sector and conducting research.

The two agreed to cooperate in the following ways to contribute to the mutual development of a cooperative relationship and the development of either organization's technological innovation capabilities: 1) sharing and utilizing big data on patents required for advanced analysis; 2) cooperating in research and statistics to increase the accuracy of analysis results and the quality of research; 3) cooperating on patent data-based policy development; and 4) cooperating on enhancing research capabilities through events such as seminars and workshops.

The Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology's National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC), as well as other organizations, convened to discuss the development of technological entrepreneurship and commercialization.

On March 10 (Thursday), the 3rd ASEAN-ROK Online STI Workshop, co-hosted by STEPI and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), was held via Zoom, with 118 officials and experts from ten ASEAN member countries in attendance.

Under the topic "Corporate Innovation, Open Innovation to Support National Innovation Ecosystem: the Roles of Big Corporations, Universities, and Vocational Colleges - to support start-ups and SMEs' innovation," the workshop focused on strengthening Korea's relationship with ASEAN as a strategic partner and promoting comprehensive cooperation, including exchange of human capital and knowledge.

Following the workshops held in April (host country: Korea) and June (host country: Cambodia) last year, this year's workshop was held under the theme "Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in the Post-Pandemic Economies." Some of the agendas presented this day were "Open innovation in the ecosystem: Corporation case studies,” “Open innovation platform for corporate innovation,” and “Technology entrepreneurship and lab-based startup: COVID-19 cases and implication.”

The workshop began with topic-based presentations, first and second presentation, by Dr. Pham Hong Quat, NATEC Secretary-General, and Kim Martin, CEO of the Shinhan Future Research Institute in Vietnam.

Dr. Pham emphasized the importance of startup networks and the prospects for Vietnam's startup and innovation ecosystems.

Kim gave the next presentation on corporate innovation analysis, stating that "changing corporate culture through the CEO's leadership in an open innovation ecosystem motivates all employees to participate.” 

Nguyen Huu Dung, the chairman of VinaCert, gave the third presentation. He introduced corporate case studies illustrating the ecosystem's food chain, as well as open innovation in corporate ecosystem policies.

Quynh Nguyen, CEO of Vietnam's BambuUp, in the fourth presentation, introduced the success factors of an open innovation platform for corporate innovation, emphasizing the importance of connecting with customer experiences and bolstering capabilities.

In the fifth and final presentations, Dr. Jong-in Choi, professor and vice-president of Hanbat University, provided an overview of Korea's technology entrepreneurship and laboratory-based startups, focusing on COVID-19 cases and implications.

Nguyen Dang Tuan Minh, manager and co-founder of KisStartup, a Vietnamese innovation support and startup mentoring company, moderated the panel discussion, where Dr. Pham Hong Quat (NATEC) and Rath Saravuth (ASEAN Senior Economic Officials Meeting) also joined to discuss approach initiatives to the platform and the roles of stakeholders in corporate innovation and the startup ecosystem.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), and the ASEAN Committee of Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) have continued the annual award of ASEAN-ROK Award for Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation for the year 2021 to encourage young scientists and engineers to contribute further on research in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation. The Award was open to professionals pursuing careers in any field of natural sciences or engineering.

The annual award consists of two categories which include the Next ASEAN Innovator, which reaches out to scientists and engineers of ASEAN nationality who aim to establish joint research partnerships with the scientific community in the Republic of Korea, and the ASEAN-ROK STI Pioneer, which targets scientists and engineers of ASEAN nationality who already have prior joint research experience within the Republic of Korea and have the interest to continue and to expand such collaboration. Each awardee will receive prize money of USD 12,000 each, sponsored by The Ministry of Science, Technology and ICT (MSIT) of the Republic of Korea.

We are proud to announce that this year’s winners are Asst. Prof. Yanwei Lum (Singapore) for the NEXT ASEAN Innovator category and Dr. Muhammad Adly Rahandi Lubis (Indonesia) for the ASEAN-ROK STI Pioneer category.

Congratulations to both winners in their efforts to achieve further research advancement and collaboration in the STI area! STEPI and the ASEAN Secretariat will shortly arrange the official awarding ceremony for both winners in early 2022.

We would like to also extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of the participants of this year’s awards. We hope to see you again at the next awards.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 24th Korean Network of Living Labs Forum online together with Lee Won-wook, President of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and Yoo Ki-hong, President of Grand Education Transition Committee of the Democratic Party on Tuesday, January 11 at 2 p.m.

The purpose of the forum was to review the implementation system of the social problem-solving R&D project, discuss how to link public procurement and local governments, and encourage local universities’ participation under the topic of “Social Problem-Solving R&D Project 2.0.”

Yoo Ki-hong, President of Grand Education Transition Committee of the Democratic Party, said in the opening speech, “Our mission in this age is to overcome integrated crises including climate crisis, health crisis, and economic crisis in the face of a revolution such as the change in the population structure and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and to discover new agenda for innovation. Through this forum, we will be able to share goals and targets of the social problem-solving R&D project and Living Lab, and discuss the future direction of development as a model that drives innovation in the region and foster talents.”

Mun Mi-ock, President of STEPI, said in the welcoming speech, “The social problem-solving R&D project is experiencing a delay in terms of project vitalization and formation of an innovative ecosystem against the existing policy. I hope this forum is the beginning of the social problem-solving R&D project 2.0 and a new, innovative ecosystem.”

Lee Won-wook, President of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said in the congratulatory message, “The social problem-solving R&D project is no longer an experimental project. It should now develop into a strategic project performed at the forefront. This is why we need the social problem-solving R&D project 2.0." Lee added, “I hope to see social problem-solving R&D projects and Living Lab become the new innovative model and mainstream project.”

 Song Wi-chin, Director of the Korean Network of Living Labs, gave the first presentation on the “Direction and Tasks for the Development of the Social Problem-Solving R&D Project” where the current system for the social problem-solving R&D project was reviewed and methods of advancing the system were suggested.

Song emphasized, “We need to approach the social problem-solving R&D project as a leading project of transformative innovation policy. We need the right system to promote the project as well as innovative ecosystem for this.” 

The second presenter, Kim Byeong-geon, President of Innovative Procurement Research Center (Institute of Procurement), gave a presentation on the subject, “Joint Outcomes and Tasks of Social Problem-Solving R&D and Public Procurement” where he introduced various methods of linking public procurement with social problem-solving R&D projects and shared cases of innovative procurement.

Kim said, “Innovative procurement is a powerful way of applying the outcome of social problem-solving R&D in the real world,” emphasizing the urgency of forming a cooperative ecosystem that can truly act as priming water.

Kim Min-su, Head of Center for People’s Participatory Research, gave the third presentation on the “Tasks for the Utilization and Expansion of Social Problem-Solving R&D Outcomes in the Local Community,” and highlighted the implications of social innovation and the importance of demand-oriented R&D in the current age of market failure, government failure, and technological failure. 

Kim said, “In the process of social problem-solving R&D, discovering issues and planning are more important than proposal and execution,” and suggested utilizing and spreading the outcome, developing outcome sharing systems, the reality of existing Living Lab operation, as well as the gap between demands in the local field and R&D as important issues.

Kim Min-su, a professor at Dongguk University, gave the last presentation on “How to Accelerate the Social Problem-Solving R&D Project in Universities” and shared outcomes of social problem-solving university living lab and future tasks. 

Professor Kim commented that “There is a greater emphasis on the role of universities to solve social problems,” and emphasized that living labs operated by universities are sustainable platforms that not only solve social problems, but also train skilled workforce in the related fields.

In the panel discussion where Han Dong-sung, a professor at Jeonju University and a chairperson of University Network of Living Labs, took the chair, Kim Jae-hyun, Chairman of Policy (Impact Alliance), Park Hui-je, a professor at Kyung Hee University, Seong Ji-eun, a senior research fellow at STEPI, Shin Dong-hun,a senior researcher at National Fusion Research Institute, and Heo Jeong-eun, a senior researcher at National Research Foundation of Korea, participated and discussed various ways of advancing the social problem-solving R&D project. 

Dear. colleagues of the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI). This is the STEPI president, Mun Mi Ock.

In the Year of Imin (Black Tiger) under the Asian zodiac, I hope that the STEPIan’s research and home will be filled with the powerful energy of the tiger and good luck.

It has already been a year since I made my first inauguration greeting at the STEPI on January 19 last year. I have spent a great and rewarding time doing a lot of things since joining our institute, which I always considered to be the mainstream and cradle of policy knowledge with outstanding researchers in science and technology innovation policy.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the vice president and officials from the Strategic Planning and Management Division, each research division, research team and research center for their full support to help our institute to achieve many results and take a step closer to the public last year.

Taking office, I thought that the policy development capabilities and roles of our institute were more important than ever in order to “not stop at the achievements of science and technology, but lead to national innovation”. This idea suggested a management vision as “World-class national Innovation policy institute of a global leading country based on science and technology￣Better science and technology, better life” and established the management goal of “three management goals and eight implementation strategies”. Our institute took the first step with the three management goals: “Science and Technology Policy Research Leading National Innovation” led by the three research departments, “Research System for Promoting Policy and Enhancing Effectiveness” spreading results to domestic and foreign networks to promote performance and planning with various policy stakeholders, and “Management Innovation” realizing the value of responsibility and integrity through diverse communication with the public and internal members. 

Now is the time to seriously aware of the rapidly changing policy environment in 2022 and prepare for our institute to respond to a new situation by referring to its achievements over the past year.

The global society had a very tough year in 2021. 

Symbolically, the New Normal era seems to be raging and becoming fixed. The world has suffered a crisis of “Double-New Normal” because of the “economic new normal” caused by low growth in developed countries after the global financial crisis and the “social new normal” emerged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A representative environmental factor that has accelerated the Double-New Normal is the global competition for hegemony that has continued and become more severe for the last four years.

In 2022, the internal and external situations is not going to be easy. The international community predicts that the impact of the secondary shock, such as disturbance and reorganization of the global value chain (GVC) caused by hegemony competition in each country, would be as bad as the first shock of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, it is highly likely that various economic and social problems that have been dormant will rise to the surface around the world, raising serious concerns.

The Global Double-New Normal refers to a state of transition to a society different from the existing one. Therefore, the national demand for innovation is expected to increase. In addition, the role and responsibility of our researchers, who propose a leading agenda for science and technology innovation policies to overcome the national crisis driven by the global shock and provide momentum for new growth, are greater than ever before.

Therefore, I would like to suggest some research and management keywords that the STEPIans, including myself, should share and focus on this year. 

First, it is necessary to contemplate future innovation from a mid- to long-term perspective. 

The unprecedented situation in which the global crisis is affecting people's daily lives is seriously threatening our future. Future research conducted by STEPI researchers over a decade explored and developed a methodology for it, suggested the direction of science and technology innovation policies to prepare for the future society, and developed future prediction scenarios. With the current uncertainty at its peak, it is urgent to build a research system that can practically utilize the accumulated know-how based on the research experiences that showed the future society from a macroscopic point of view.

Second, the ability to immediately respond to highly influential and important tasks in the difficult situation facing now is also an essential competency. A representative pending issue would be preparing a more full-scale policy research response system for our institution on the subject of technology security. The hegemony conflict between the U.S. and China, which began in earnest in 2017, intensified pressure on China as the establishment of a global alliance system centered on the U.S. was consolidated in 2021. Considering that Western countries such as the U.S. began diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Winter Olympics earlier this year, the global new Cold War led by the U.S.-China hegemony competition is expected to continue this year. The important fact is that science and technology are at the center of the huge confrontation between the forces of maritime liberal democracy and the forces of continental totalitarianism. Following the recently proven ability of the STEPI's researchers to respond to timely policies related to the subject of technology security, we should now be promptly prepared for more intensive science and technology innovation policies. 

The derivative of the future is the present, and the integral of the present is the future. 

The future we desire cannot exist without accumulating a meaningful present, and the present without hope for the future will also be meaningless. 

We will make every efforts to carry out strategic research this year with “future innovation” and “technology security” as the representative core agendas for researching the future and present, respectively, and strengthen related research groups. 

Third, the problems and challenges of the global society that arise in the process of innovation and development toward the future society are not separated from those of Korea. Thus, we should also deepen policy research that comes up with solutions from an integrated perspective on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), government’s dilemmas, and social problems. Let's intensify research to analyze and diagnose the evolution of problems that will not only be chronic from the past to the present, but also problems that will become a major obstacle in the future if not solved now.

I will communicate with you at all times to become a researcher who lets abilities be pride by actively practicing ESG management that considers transparency, integrity, and the environment.

Furthermore, I will look into and support your research results to be good.

I am sure that if we all put ourselves in each other's shoes and create a culture of respect and consideration, we will have a rewarding and successful year. Let's do our best to make the STEPI the true headquarter of global science and technology innovation policy.

In the new year of 2022, I hope that each of you achieves your own goals and dreams and that all of your family are healthy and full of luck. Happy New Year. Thank you.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) jointly held the Opening of the Technological Regulations Policy Research Conference with the Korea Society of Regulatory Studies under the theme “Response to Global Technological Regulations” on Friday, December 17 at 2 p.m.

The conference was held through online live-streaming service to share the results of researches on the agenda of global technological regulations related to “digital trade” and “response to climate changes” as part of the fifth-year project of the “agenda-setting research for the innovation of technological regulations,” a multi-year project of STEPI.

The event started with the opening remarks by Lee Myeong-hwa, director of the Division of R&D Strategy Research of STEPI, and congratulatory remarks by Kim Seong-jun, president of the Korea Society of Regulatory Studies, The first session followed featuring presentations by Baek Seo-in, assistant research fellow of STEPI, on the “Major Issues and Case Analysis of Global Technological Regulations in the Field of Digital Trade” and by Choi Hae-ok, assistant research fellow of STEPI, on the “Major Issues and Case Analysis of Global Technological Regulations in the Field of Response to Climate Change.”

In relation to the digital trade field, Baek provided policy proposals on ▲ data regulations, ▲ AI ethics and regulations, ▲ cutting-edge hardware and software import/export and use control, ▲ digital tax, and ▲ conformance certification test.

Regarding the field of responding to climate change, Choi presented policy proposals on ▲ emission trading system, ▲ carbon tax, ▲ carbon border adjustment, ▲ RE100, and ▲ evaluation and certification.

In the second session, Lee Gwang-ho, senior research fellow of STEPI, gave a presentation on related companies’ current responses and policy demand under the theme “Influence of global technological regulations on major domestic industries.”

Giving an overview of issues in each field and the status of companies, Lee presented policy proposals including the ▲ establishment of an integrated response system and pursuit of medium- and long-term strategies, ▲ establishment of a system for monitoring regulation trends and pursuit of information support project, ▲ strengthening of correlation between the response to trade problems and conformance evaluation system, and ▲ foundation of cooperative platform in the same type of business and expansion of incentive structure.

In the panel discussion chaired by Kim Seong-jun, a professor at Kyungpook National University, Park Seon-ju, a professor at Kyungpook National University, Gwon Gi-seok, a professor at Hanbat National University, Hong Seung-heon, assistant researcher of the Korea Institute of Public Administration, and Jeon Min-yeong, director of the Technical Regulatory Cooperation Division of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, participated and had a discussion on the regulation issues in each field.

As part of its K-Innovation Partnership Program, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) opened the 2021 K-Innovation Dissemination Forum at the Grand Ballroom Baekdu in Dragon City, Seoul, on Wednesday, December 15.

This forum was held to publicize the results of the K-Innovation Partnership Program, STEPI’s ODA program, in 2021 and to seek more effective methods for the project.

The opening speech by Song ChiUng, vice president of STEPI, opened the forum, followed by a set of presentations and a discussion on the project cases in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and Ghana by more than 50 experts in Korea and abroad participating virtually or in person.

In his keynote speech on “Korea’s STI (Science, Technology & Innovation) Policy for Economic Transformation,” Chung Sungchul (Wonjeong Institute, former president of STEPI) introduced the experience of Korea in achieving successful economic growth despite its limited capital by choosing strategic R&D areas.

Chung stressed that there is no surefire way of scientific and technological development and economic growth that can be applied to—and is effective for—any country, and that it is important to share each other’s experiences and lessons to establish and practice strategies for environments in different countries.

[Cambodia] In the Cambodia session, the presentation by Pagnarith Srun, section chief of Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, on Cambodia’s STI Roadmap 2030 produced as a result of the K-Innovation program was followed by the presentation on “K-Innovation in Cambodia: Past, Present, and Future” by Lee Jungwon, senior research fellow of STEPI.

Next, Hul Seingheng, director of Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, participated online to discuss Cambodia’s capacity reinforcement in science and technology innovation and ways of development of the K-Innovation program.

[Laos] In the Laos session, Sun Inkyoung, assistant research fellow of STEPI, gave presentation on the “2021 STI Survey of Lao PDR.” Soumana Choulamany, director general of the Ministry of Technology and Communications, talked about the “Technology and Innovation Development Status in Lao PDR.”

The panel consisting of Dr. Sengpasith Houngaloune of Laos, Lee Jejung (former professor of the National University of Laos), and Ketnaphone Chulamany discussed the challenges in scientific and technological innovation in Laos and solutions.

[Indonesia] In the Indonesia session, Dudi Hidayat, director of the National Research and Innovation Agency, gave a presentation on the “Recent Changes in STI Systems in Indonesia and Way Forward.” This was followed by the presentation on the “K-Innovation Partnership Program in Indonesia” by Yim Deok Soon, senior research fellow of STEPI.

In the discussion that followed, Kim Seong-soo, a professor at the Hankook University of Foreign Studies, participated to make arguments on the changes in governance and ways of development for the future.

[Ghana] Lastly, in the Ghana session, Oliver Boachie, special adviser to the Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, gave a presentation on the “State of STI in Ghana.” Kim Wangdong, senior research fellow of STEPI, talked about the “2021 K-Innovation Program with Ghana.”

Derrydean Dadzie, CEO of The Heritors People, participated in the ensuing discussion to discuss the roles of STI in Ghana’s economic advancement and cooperative methods in the future.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 2021 STEPI Global Symposium through online broadcasting starting Friday, December 10 at 2:30 p.m.

The global symposium was themed “Global STI (science, technology & innovation) for Resilient and Sustainable System in the Post-COVID Era.” It was an opportunity for experts at home and abroad to share issues and seek solutions related to rebuilding public trust in science and  global cooperation in science and technology.

Starting with the opening remarks by Mun Mi-ock, president of STEPI, and congratulatory remarks by Jung Hae-gu, chairperson of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Sciences Korea, and Kim Bok-chul, chairperson of the National Research Council for Science & Technology Korea, the symposium had two sessions: ▲ Rebuilding Public Trust in Science and ▲ Vision for Global Cooperation in Science and Technology.

In the first session, Jiro Kokuryo, a professor at Keio University and the first presenter, explained the current state of the socio-technical system and introduced a digital institution newly established in 2021 in Japan under the theme “AI for Social Good: What Are We After?” 

He also described the ethical challenges related to data use and correlation between human and machines.

In the next presentation, Fernanda Beigel, a professor at the National University of Cuyo and a member of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina, introduced the history of open science that began in 1960 in her talk on “The UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science and Its Implications on Public Trust in Science.” 

At the same time, she explained the necessity of open science for global communities based on the experiences and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the recommendation of UNESCO on open science.

In the second session, Mario Cervantes, senior economist of the OECD Science and Technology Policy Division, showed the ratio of global cooperation in all scientific researches and major cooperating countries in his talk on “Strengthening Multilateral STI Collaboration for SDGs.”

He pointed out the fundamental problems in global collaboration in science and technology and stressed the importance of global cooperation after the COVID-19 pandemic and the recommendation of OECD on the scientific and technological collaboration for the implementation of SDGs.

Lastly, Marta Pérez Cusó, economic affairs officer of the Technology and Innovation Section of the Trade, Investment, and Innovation Division of UN ESCAP, explained the purpose of establishment of national STI policies as well as the STI policies that address the problems of inequality.

She also emphasized the importance of dissemination of inclusive innovation, not the next-generation technology.

A panel discussion followed each session. The first discussion was chaired by Lee Hyun-sook, professor of Biological Science at the College of Natural Science of Seoul National University, with the participation of Park Chan-soo, chief director of the Division of Innovative Growth Strategy of STEPI, and Park Buhm-soon, faculty member of the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy of KAIST and member of the Subcommittee on Social and Human Sciences & Natural Science of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO.

The chair of the second discussion was Jang Yong-suk, senior research fellow of STEPI, and its panel consisted of Park Hwan-il, chief director of the Division of Global Innovation Strategy of STEPI, and Oh Young-ju, president of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security. The panel had an intense discussion on the topic of the session.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongsangnam-do Living Lab Network Forum on Wednesday, December 1, at 2 p.m. at Pyeonghwa Hall on the 1st floor of the Changjo Gwan building in Kyungnam University.

Jointly sponsored by STEPI and LINC+ Project Team of Kyungnam University, this event was themed “Linking Bu-Ul-Gyeong with Living Lab” to share the activities and solutions for problem solving based on the living lab in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do regions, which are facing similar problems caused by the changes in industrial structure.

Seong Ji-eun, senior research fellow of STEPI, gave the first presentation on the theme “How to link and scale up the living lab activities between regions” and emphasized the need for strategies to link and scale up the various experiments in operation in each region for the transition of Bu-Ul-Gyeong’s system.

Next, Jeong Eun-hui, a professor at Kyungnam University who talked about the “Living Lab Activities in Gyeongnam and the Way to Link Bu-Ul-Gyeong,” introduced the living lab activities that are being practiced by universities in Gyoengsangnam-do and highlighted the need to go beyond the one-shot project for sustainable living lab activities.

Lastly, Kim In-ho, secretary-general of the Ulsan Living Lab Network who gave a presentation on the “Living Lab Activities in Ulsan and the Way to Link Bu-Ul-Gyeong,” introduced the living lab activities in Ulsan and emphasized the necessity of mutual learning of each region’s activities.

In the discussion chaired by Song Wi-jin, director of the Korean Network of Living Labs, Kim Eun-yeong, researcher of the Gyeongsangnamdo Women & Family Foundation, Nam Byeong-hyeok, team leader of Busan Techno Park, Noh Seong-yeo, a professor at Tongmyong University, and Jeong Yeon-jin, director of the Ulsan Network of Living Labs, participated to discuss ways to vitalize the Bu-Ul-Gyeong living lab network, including how to engage companies to actualize social impact as well as the ways to establish innovation platforms for the regional transition on a super-regional dimension.

In order to advance innovation activities of social ventures, a venue was set up to discuss a full-scale meeting together with science technology.

From 2:00PM on Tuesday, November 23, the Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held, both online and offline simultaneously, ‘The 21st Science Technology + Social Innovation Forum’ along with Impact Alliance, a consultative body for social ventures.

The subject of the forum was ‘Social Venture Meets Science Technology.’ The forum was organized by Impact Alliance, hosted by STEPI and the Korean Network of Living Labs (KNoLL), as well as being sponsored by Erounnet, Crevisse, and the Ministry of Science and ICT.

In the forum, the participants discussed why social ventures need to meet science technology, what the current status and future tasks are, and strategies that can be implemented to accelerate the meeting between the two.

The first presenter, Song Wi-jin, a senior researcher at STEPI, discussed the topic, ‘Science technology innovation policies and social ventures’, and explained, as well as advocated, for the importance of the meeting between the two.

In the second presentation titled, ‘Social ventures’ technology innovation capability diagnosis and tasks,’ Baek Seung-cheol, CEO of social venture Percent, diagnosed technology innovation capabilities of social ventures, and proposed tasks for future improvement. 

Jeon Il-su, the leader of the Planning Team at Impact Alliance, who gave the third presentation, talked about the meeting of social ventures and science technology through the subject, ‘How can social ventures meet science technology?’ 

Following the presentations, technology-based social venture case studies were introduced such as innovation activities of Todo Works, who supply a DIY kit that converts manual wheelchairs into electric wheelchairs, Noul, who invented a malaria testing platform using AI, and 4EN, who develops eco-friendly materials using agricultural waste such as coffee grounds.

The ‘21st Science Technology + Social Innovation Forum’ has been held since May, 2014, led by STEPI in order to strengthen the connection and cooperation between science technology and social innovation.

On Friday, November 5, 

the Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a joint workshop by the name of ‘Building Indonesia-Korea Center of Excellence for Digital Start-up Development.’

STEPI, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia, as well as the Investment Coordinating Board collaborated together in making this workshop happen. The purpose of the joint workshop was to explore the direction of policy advisory, and inspect the progress of joint research projects. 

Around 40 digital start-up experts from South Korea and Indonesia participated in the workshop and engaged in passionate discussions.

For sessions organized by the Indonesian participants, Muhammad Neil El Himam, Vice Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, gave a presentation on ‘Policies and Challenges for Digital Start-Ups,’ Andria Buchara, Deputy Director of Investment Coordinating Board, on ‘Investment on the Indonesian Digital Economy,’ and Dr. Trina Fizzanty of the National Research Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional; BRIN) on ‘Indonesian Digital Start-Up Ecosystem.’

Following the presentations, Rama Mamuaya, the founder of Daily Social, gave a presentation on ‘Digital Capabilities of Digital Start-Ups,’ Arief Widhiyasa, CEO of Agate International, on ‘The Indonesian Game Start-Up Ecosystem,’ and Cipto Adiguno, Chairperson of Asosiasi Game Indonesia, on ‘Global Partnership in the Indonesian Game Industry.’

Kim Yeong-hwan, a researcher at STEPI, started the sessions organized by the Korean participants by giving a presentation on ‘The Korean Start-Up Ecosystem and Nurture Policy.’ Following the presentation, Hwang Yun-seong, Director of Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Centre, gave a presentation on ‘The Korean Start-Up Ecosystem and Born2Global Center,’ Go Han-sin, an assistant manager at Korea Business Angels Association gave one on ‘Korea’s TIPS Program and Angel Investment Ecosystem,’ and Kwon Hyeok-tae, CEO of Coolidge Corner Investment, gave one on ‘The Korean Venture Capital Ecosystem.’

 The ‘Indonesia-Korea Center of Excellence’ is a South Korean innovation sharing model that performs comprehensive policy research on government innovation/systems according to the agreement that was established by the Economics, Humanities and Social Research Council in South Korea and the Indonesian Ministry of Industry in 2018. The center's goal is to facilitate bilateral responses to the age of the 4th Industrial Revolution, reinforce mutual cooperation between the two countries, and promote ‘Making Indonesia 4.0.’ As a detailed project, STEPI is acting as an advisory body for the center.

The research program, which has, at this point, been going on for four years, is participated by Korean and Indonesian researchers for the establishment of a digital start-up center in Indonesia. The researchers are conducting joint research projects on ▲ Global Digital Economy and Digital Transformation, ▲ the Indonesian digital technology enterprises and ecosystem, case studies on policies and systems related to digital start-ups, ▲ South Korean digital technology enterprises and the ecosystem, ▲ major policies and programs related to digital start-ups, ▲law and systems, and governance as well as sharing cases regarding successful programs and promotional agencies. In addition to this, the researchers are working on policy consultations, joint research projects, and joint workshops to reinforce the invitation capabilities in order to deduce policy advice that is related to the research subjects.

On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, the Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the ‘2021 Seoul S&T Forum’ at THE PLAZA Seoul.

Organized by the National Research Council of Science & Technology 

and co-hosted by STEPI and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), through the sponsorship of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the forum was held on the subject of ‘The research paradigm shift to prepare for the post-COVID world.’ The main purpose of the forum was to share knowledge on data-based R&D that was developed by Korean and international experts at government-funded Korean research institutes and throughout the global community, as well as to explore ways to develop upon it. 

The event was held both online and offline simultaneously. Around 50 Korean speakers and distinguished guests visited the venue while overseas speakers and audiences attended the event online via a YouTube channel.

For the keynote speech, Professor Tony Hey, a chief data scientist at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, gave a presentation on the subject of, ‘A.I. for Science: Transforming scientific research’, and shared impacts that AI and machine learning technologies would have on science technology.

Following the keynote speech, experts from government-funded Korean research institutes including KIST, STEPI, KISTI, and KAIST as well as UC Berkeley, USA, and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan, presented and discussed data-based R&D policies, and the establishment of smart lab environments.

Celebrating its 8th anniversary this year, the forum first started along the G20 Summit held in Seoul back in 2010. It has been used as a place where science technology research and policy leaders from government-funded Korean research institutes and international organizations and government officials participate to discuss solutions to global problems using science technology.

The Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held a forum for analysis and discussion on the upcoming agenda of the 119th CSTP general assembly and the 45th GSF general assembly on October 14 (Thursday) at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Sejong. Each working group also held discussions on the current agenda.

This council is a regular professionals council meeting to strengthen the Korea-OECD cooperation system and enhance domestic business operations. During the meeting, the current status and future plans for the PWB 2021–22 activities were discussed while sharing the status and progress of the major PWB 2021–22 projects by each working group and major outputs scheduled to be published and held during 2022.

In addition, measures to expand participation in the PWB 2021–22 were discussed.

The Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) participated in the "Asian Society for Innovation and Policy Conference 2021: Pandemic, Innovation and Asia" held at Jeju National University from October 7 (Thursday) to October 9 (Sunday). STEPI hosted a special session under the theme of “Strengthening Indonesian STI system” to provide an opportunity of sharing the achievements of Korea to the Asian market.

STEPI is promoting Indonesia's three-year plan for the science and technology innovation governance advisory project (2020 – 2022). Currently, the institute is in its second year of the project and is conducting research on various topics such as the evolution of Korea's science and technology policy system and the role of think tanks, the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation system for Indonesia's national R&D programs, and the analysis and reform of science and technology-related laws and regulations. 

At the opening ceremony on the 7th (Thursday), STEPI President Mun Mi-ok gave a keynote speech on the prosperity in Korea and Asia, detailing the impact of changes in industrial development and scientific and technological innovation on human life. She also highlighted the importance of the roles of scientific and technological innovation in the Sustainable Development Goals.

On the 8th (Friday), senior researcher Lim Deok-soon (STEPI) and Dr. Dudi Hidayat (Indonesia National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)) held a session on strengthening Indonesia's STI system capabilities based on Korea's science and technology innovation system and development experience.

Professor Kwon Ki-seok from Hanbat University), the speaker of the first presentation, shared the findings on the “evolution of Korea’s science and technology policy system and the role of think tanks” by tracing the evolutionary path of the establishment and development of Korea’s science and technology innovation policy think tanks centered on STEPI and analyzed their characteristics and success factors.

Ko Young-joo, head of the Daejeon Institute of Science & Technology for Enterprise & People, presented ways to improve Indonesia's evaluation system through analysis of Korea's national R&D system under the topic of “measures to establish a monitoring and evaluation system for Indonesia’s national R&D program.”

Professor Kim Sung-soo from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies made the final presentation of analyzing the current status and characteristics of Korean science and technology laws and regulations and introduced implications for Indonesia's recently reorganized BRIN under the topic of “measures to analyze and reorganize laws and regulations related to science and technology.”

In the comprehensive discussion following the presentations, Dr. Lee Jung-hyeop (Competitiveness Unit, Thailand), Prof. Mohan Avvari (Nottingham University, Malaysia), Prof.Pravit Khaemasunun (Thanassat University, Thailand), Dr. AnugerahYuka Asmara, Dr.Kusandar, and Dr. Dadang Ramdhan (BRIN, Indonesia) discussed the importance of establishing a think tank that reflects the characteristics of Indonesia's national innovation system.      

Since 2014, STEPI has been providing science and technology policy education and training and advice to experts from major research institutions, including the government officials in the field of science and technology policy in Indonesia, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). Through this project, STEPI achieved outstanding results, such as supporting the enactment of the National System of Science and Technology in Indonesia in 2019 and the establishment of BRIN, which was launched on September 1, 2021.

On October 6 (Wednesday) at 2 p.m., the Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) hosted the 443rd Science and Technology Policy Forum to explore ways of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through science and technology.

 Under the theme of "the role of science and technology innovation for the implementation of the SDGs,” participants of this forum discussed the future direction along with the efforts that Korea is undertaking to achieve SDGs through the use of science and technology, such as the implementation of the SDGs through Korean science and technology and support for the implementation of SDGs in developing countries.

This year's Science and Technology Policy Forum was held jointly with the “Science and Technology ODA Forum” of the K-Innovation ODA Program hosted by STEPI.

The forum, which started with the opening speech by Mun Mi-ok, the STEPI president, was not restricted to only for those concerned with science and technology policy. Professionals from the relevant private sector, international organizations, and universities participated in presentations and discussions on two sessions: Korea's SDGs implementation and STI; and SDGs and STI in international development and cooperation.

In the first session, assistant researcher Sun In-kyung (STEPI) presented "national R&D project for sustainable development" and Lee Eun-kyung, head of the UN Global Compact Network Korea, gave a presentation on “corporate SDGs iplementation and scientific and technological innovation.”

In the second session, Kim Ji-hyun, head of the Office of SDG Innovation Research (STEPI), shared details on “STI and SDGs implementation support in developing countries” and Director Choi Ah-reum (Dot Inc.) focused on “the role of technology-based startups to achieve SDGs.”

Following the presentations, in a comprehensive discussion led by Hwan-il Park, director of the Division of Global Innovation Strategy Research (STEPI), all the presenters, including Kang Su-il, the director-general of the International Environment Research Institute (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology), discussed future directions such as ways to contribute to the international community through Korean science and technology.

The National Space Policy Research Center at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 1st Space Policy Forum at Best Western Hotel in Sejong-si starting Wednesday, September 8 at 1:00PM. The event was held both online and offline.

Themed “Role and Direction of National Space Development and Space Policy,” the forum was held to look back on the achievements made by South Korea in the last 30 years of space development and listen to opinions of the related industry and academic experts concerning the role and development direction of the national space policy.

Cho Hwang-hee, director of the National Space Policy Research Center, started the forum with a welcome speech. It was followed by congratulatory speeches from Go Seo-gon, Chief of Research and Development Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Moon Mi-ok, Director of STEPI. Ahn Hyeong-jun, Leader of SPREC Research Policy Team 2, gave a presentation titled “30 Years of National Space Development: Development and Performance of Space Policy.”

During the presentation, Ahn explored the history of national space development in South Korea over a period of one generation since the beginning of space development in South Korea in the 1980s. He also addressed the historical implications of the latest space policy issues such as abolition of the South Korea-US missile guidelines, the Artemis Accords, and the launch of Nuri.

Yim Jong-bin, Leader of SPREC Policy Research Team 1, gave the second presentation on the subject “Tasks and Development Direction for National Space Policy.” As a case study, the presentation explored Space Traffic Management (STM), which has become an important issue in the field of space policy due to the increasing number of states and companies entering the space development business in recent years.

Yim emphasized the need to expand the space policy—which is conventionally focused on research and technology development—to a comprehensive policy covering economy, national security, and diplomacy.

In the panel discussion chaired by Bang Hyo-chung, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Chairman of the Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, experts in related fields including Shin Jae-sik, manager of the Giant Public Space Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, Lee Jun, a general manager of the Strategic Planning Division at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Lee Jae-jin, general manager of the Space Science Division at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Kim Gi-geun, Director of the Space Technology Center at the Agency for Defense Development, Kim I-eul, CEO of Satrec Initiative, Kang Gyeong-in, Head of the Space Technology Group at the National Research Foundation of Korea, and Yu Jun-gu, a professor at the Korean National Diplomatic Academy, discussed “what should be the role and direction of national space policy in order for space development in South Korea, which has entered a new phase, to take a leap forward.”

The Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) conducted a training program titled “2021 South Korea-Indonesia International Technology Cooperation Project” for 35 government officials and experts from the Ministry of Science and Technology Innovation in Indonesia from Tuesday, September 7, to Wednesday, September 8. The training program was offered in the form of an online seminar. 

The training program, aimed at strengthening the science and technology policy capabilities of Indonesia, consisted of various themes including South Korea’s major STI policy and policy methodology, role of think-tanks and governance, national research and development program evaluation system, and law and policy related to science and technology.

In particular, the training program sought to strengthen the policy planning and execution capacity and science and technology competitiveness of Indonesia, a partner country of South Korea, by sharing South Korea’s experience in science and technology innovation governance (adjustment mechanism, legal system, and financial system).

On the 7th (Tuesday), the training program started with greetings from Dr.

Dudi Hidayat of the National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional; BRIN), the policy consultation program manager of the cooperating organization, and Yim Deok-sun, Senior Research Fellow at STEPI. South Korean experts with extensive practical experiences also participated in the training program.

In the first session, Dr. Choi Yeong-rak (former director of STEPI) introduced South Korea’s science and technology innovation policy instruments and major science and technology policies of each developmental stage during his presentation on “South Korea’s Science and Technology Innovation Policy Instruments.”

Professor Seo Il-won (of Chonnam National University) led the second session on “South Korea’s Think-Tanks and Governance” and talked about the schematicized theory transfer of the ideal think-tank policy system. 

In the Q&A session, the last part of the program, Professor Kwon Gi-seok (Hanbat National University) answered questions from the Indonesian training participants and emphasized the need to define the characteristics of Indonesian R&D and execute policymaking based on it.

A lecture on South Korea’s national research and development evaluation system and legal system for science and technology was held on the 8th (Wednesday), with Dr. Kwon Jae-yeong (Korea Institute of Science & Technology Evaluation & Planning) giving a presentation on the subject “National R&D Evaluation Program.”

In the session that followed, Professor Kim Bong-cheol (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) emphasized that the development of legal system in the science and technology field played a major role in the development of South Korean economy and industry during his presentation on “Science and Technology Law and System in South Korea.”

Go Yeong-ju, Director of the Daejeon Institute of Science and Technology for Enterprise and People (DISTEP) and Professor Kim Seong-su (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) also participated in the Q&A session, introducing South Korea’s performance management and evaluation budget plan and major laws that played a key role in the process of science and technology development in South Korea in the last 60 years. 

The “South Korea-Indonesia International Technology Cooperation Program” is part of the science and technology ODA program operated by STEPI since 2018. The program provides support for the Indonesian government and science and technology innovation research institutes to strengthen their policy planning and execution capabilities.

Through the program, STEPI has made big achievements including the enactment of the Science and Technology Framework Act in Indonesia in 2019 and provision of support for the establishment of BRIN on September 1, 2021.

As part of the international technology cooperation assignment, the Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the South Korea-Laos high-level talks and the 2020-2022 initiative meeting for the application of K-Innovation to the national science and technology research and development in Laos together with the Laos Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) on Wednesday, September 1.

The forum was held through cooperation between STEPI, Laos MTC, and Lao Embassy in South Korea. Around 60 South Korea-Laos experts attended the event online and in person and discussed the South Korea-Laos science and technology trends and 2021 project plan.

“Despite various restrictions faced by international cooperation due to COVID-19, I hope K-Innovation provides an opportunity for South Korea and Laos to share progress and information on science and technology innovation policies,” Vice President Song Chi-wung said in the opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of ongoing exchange. 

MTC Director Soumana Chulamany, who gave the welcome speech, noted that South Korea is a country with strength in science and technology innovation. “It is an important starting point for our cooperation wherein we write a science and technology master plan based on the experience of South Korea in achieving its own development,” he added.

According to Ambassador of Laos to South Korea Thieng Boupha, who gave the congratulatory speech, K-Innovation is a meaningful program that provides an opportunity for both countries to share useful information on science and technology innovation policy, strengthen capabilities, and continue cooperation. He also expressed hope for the successful operation of the program.

Seon In-gyeong, Associate Research Fellow at STEPI, gave the first presentation on the subject “K-Innovation Partnership Program” and introduced the objective of the K-Innovation Laos program, details of STEPI’s consultation, and 2021 research schedule.

After the presentation, Director Soumana Chulamany talked about the “Operation and Development of Science and Technology Innovation in Laos,” covering topics such as science and technology innovation governance, development strategy for national science and technology innovation and R&D institute, and science and technology innovation demand.

Choi Yeong-rak, former chairman of the research group and former Executive Director of STEPI, gave a special lecture on the topic “Korean Economy and Development of Science and Technology Innovation.” The former chairman discussed the main characteristics of South Korea’s development experience and application points, covering topics such as creation of the market, roles of the government and companies, policy execution capability, and lessons from South Korea’s experience.

The Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) completed the official schedule for the training course “Science and Technology Innovation Policy and Strategy Development” provided to 15 operation-level government officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, National Science and Technology Committee, and Science and Technology Policy Team at the Innovation Office under the Presidential Office in El Salvador.

Jointly provided by STEPI and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the training took place online due to the current situation with COVID-19, which makes it difficult to invite the trainees to South Korea. South Korea’s science and technology innovation policy know-how was shared during the online course.

The training sought to help promote the social and economic development of El Salvador and consisted of various programs on science and technology innovation policy planning and development and operation of science and technology complex, pre-recorded lectures given by science and technology experts on topics such as science and technology innovation and industry, question and answer session, online seminar for action plan development, and team activities for action plan development.

In particular, experts with extensive practical experiences in South Korea’s science and technology policy establishment and technology transfer provided detailed case studies together with theories in the form of pre-recorded lecture.

The South Korean experts also held real-time virtual meetings to develop an action plan for the revitalization of technology transfer and commercialization based on in-depth analysis of the current status of technology transfer in El Salvador and major issues in the country.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute held online, in a non-face-to-face manner, the 2nd Living Lab Forum for Sustainable Development starting 2 p.m. on Fri., August 20, jointly with the Korea University Sustainable Development Research Center and the Korea University Industry-University & Institute Partnership Division Center.

The forum was held under the theme “How could we achieve private-industry-academe-institute-government cooperation in the transition to sustainable caregiving?” It was a venue for seeking step-by-step transition strategies for expanding various experiments on caregiving, linking dots to make sides.

Seong Ji-eun, the first presenter and senior researcher of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, analyzed the caregiving transition activities by subjects and suggested ways of scaling up through association and cooperation under the theme “How could we associate/cooperate and scale up for the transition to sustainable caregiving?”

“Currently, in public institutions, companies, colleges, and local residences, various transition experiments on caregiving focusing on the person concerned, consumer, local society, and patient are ongoing,” Seong said. He emphasized the need to make efforts to associate each activity for scale improvement and development of platforms.

The second presenter, NUbiz CEO Lee Bo-hyeon, introduced various living lab cases that apply ICT based on the local society under the theme “How to associate science technology and local society for the transition in caregiving.” In particular, Lee emphasized the living lab as an innovative method led by consumers and local societies. “Convergence with science and technology is important for the transition to sustainable caregiving,” he said.

The last presenter, Cheong Haejoo, professor of the Korea University Division of Health Policy and Management, shared sustainable local society-participatory integrated caregiving cases under the theme “Experience of health improvement projects associated with participatory healthcare in a group in underprivileged residence.”

Professor Jeong stressed that we could secure the sustainability of integrated caregiving by forming a governance structure wherein residents can participate firsthand and the service delivery structure through which we can use the public-private-civil resources that already exist in local societies based on prior careful study.

She also suggested the key tasks related to the role of universities in the caregiving innovation experiment in local society: redesigning the incentive structure in the university for field-centered research, reorganizing the education of graduate school in related fields, and securing the faculty in the fields of practice and mediation research.

In the panel discussion led by Professor Choi Jae-uk (Korea University College of Medicine), Director Seo Jeong-joo (Now Social Innovation Lab), Kim Seong-cheol (Korea University School of Media & Communication), CEO Bae Yun-jeong (Medi Plus Solution), and Professor Kim Jun-seon (Korea University School of Health and Environment Science) participated to discuss diverse practical measures for caregiving transition.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute held the Space Diplomacy Forum 2021 jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the theme “Envisioning a Better Future through Space Diplomacy” on Thu., August 12 at Josun Hotel.

Held in both face-to-face and non-face-to-face means, the forum invited experts in space diplomacy at home and abroad, including major space development countries like the United States and Germany and UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs) as well as officers in charge of foreign embassies in Korea. They discussed current issues, such as exploration related to space development, norms, and sustainable development goals along with ways of expanding the network of major countries.

In his welcome speech, Choi Jongmoon, 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, expected the forum to become a place for discussion for the reinforcement of space diplomacy and cooperation. “As the global society is carrying out space exploration and development more and more actively, we need related global norms for actively responding to various issues such as space object collision, grievance mediation, and space debris as well as for the safety of human beings and building of a predictable environment. Through global cooperation in the field of space, we could deduce the resolution for our common tasks,” he said.

In his congratulatory speech, Mun Mi-ock, president of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, noted that global cooperation in the field of space is becoming more important than ever in attaining the sustainable goals set by the global society and the detailed targets under UN SDGs. "We should strengthen multilateral cooperation from the viewpoint of space diplomacy, veering away from the frame of global collaboration centering on the exchange of space technologies to solve the problems faced by humans such as climate and environment," he stressed.

In his closing speech, Lee Seong-ho, Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs, explained that contributing to the consistent goal of realizing profits shared by all human beings requires taking an approach that embraces various fields from the universal perspective of space diplomacy. "We should work together for sustainable space technologies, space exploration, and space norm formation based on collaboration, instead of competition between countries,” he stressed.

As a pre-event, Steven Morrison, a Korean adoptee who worked actively in the field of space as a former senior project engineer at The Aerospace Corporation in the United States, had time to share his experience in developing a career in the space area with undergraduate students.

Together with the Korea Living Lab Network and the University Living Lab Network, the Science and Technology Institute (STEPI) on Tuesday July 20 hosted a non-face-to-face, online forum under the theme ‘How shall we bring about institutional improvements for the elevation of the living lab?’ 「The22nd Korea Living Lab Network」.

The forum kicked off with an opening address by Mun, Mi-ok, President of STEPI and a congratulatory address by Yoon, Nansil, Institutional Innovation Secretary of the Presidential Secretariat. Then various sectors of society from the university, researchers and civil society discussed the difficulties of the Living Lab and the major tasks ahead, not to mention how to bring about institutional improvements.

Through President Mun’s greetings, she emphasized that “Because Living Lab is a horizontal type of cooperation, it can contradict somewhat with existing policies and systems” and stressed institutional improvements to vitalize the Living Lab.

Presidential Secretary for Institutional Innovation Yoon, Nansil, through her congratulatory address stated, “To solve the problems of the Living Lab, policies should be geared not to public servants, industries or scientific researchers, but to the people, who are the ultimate consumers of the changes” and let it be known that “she wants to find the factors that will help make the Living Lab a level more advanced."

Professor Han, Dongsoong of Jeonju University (President of Korea Living Lab Network) gave the first presentation under the topic ‘The major issues and institutional improvement proposals of university Living Lab activities’ indicating the tasks ahead of them in terms of Living Lab activities.

The second presentation, under the theme ‘The major issues and proposals for institutional improvements for the pushing of the Living Lab as a social-problem solving research activity ’was given by Heo, Jeong-eun, Head of the Public Technology Division of the Korea Research Foundation, who conveyed matters for improvement for the activities of the Living Lab where the consumer participates in the solving of social problems through research, and for sustainable results.

The 3rd presentation was led by Kim, Minsu, Operation Director of the Citizen Participation Research Center, who under the theme ‘The major issues and proposals for institutional improvements of Living Lab activities as innovation activities with citizen participation.’ The presentation touched on the important changes and the expansion of innovation through region-based Living Lab activities.

The 4th presentation was led by Song, Wijin, Senior Researcher of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, and under the theme ‘The major issues and proposals for institutional improvements of Living Lab activities as integrative models of science technology and social innovation’, and he stressed the need for new support organizations and for new program planning for the vitalization of the Living Lab.

Hwang, Hyeran, Vice-President of the Daejeon Sejong Institute chaired the panel discussion, which saw the participation of Researcher Kim, Eun-yeong (South Gyeongsang Province Foundation of Women Family), Kim, Hyung-gyun, (Assistant to Lawmaker Lee, Yong-bin), Seong, Ji-eun, Senior Research Commissioner (STEPI), and Choe, Yi-seong, (Representative of Center for Social Innovation). They all discussed proposals for improving the institution for the elevation of the Living Lab.

On July 20 (Tuesday) at 14:00, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI President Mun, Mi-ok) through the 「the 441st Science and Technology Policy Forum 」explored changes in the expectations and the responses of science and technology policy researchers.

Planned under the theme “Spectrum of Science and Technology Policy Researchers,” the forum aims for the smooth cultivation of science and technology policy researchers through the educational institutions of science and technology policies so as to exchange personal opinions and understanding the necessary capabilities of policy researchers.

Kicked off with STEPI President Mun, Mi-ok’s opening address, this event was led by Senior Research Commissioner of STEPI Kim, Seok-gwan under the presentation title of “The concept of talent of science and technology policy researchers and skills mismatch (from the consumer viewpoint)” and those concerned in the educational institutions of science and technology policy research sat down for a debate-type discussion.

In the debate led by Hong, Seongmin, head of the Science and Technology Talent Policy Center, ▲the necessity and anticipated demand for the graduate school of science and technology policy, ▲the right person for the science and technology policy and the planning of the graduate school curriculum ▲the problems and difficulties in establishing a science and technology policy graduate school ▲the cooperation measures of consumer agencies (research institutions) and the necessity for government support, were discussed.

At the forum, the debaters included Prof. Lee, Jeongdong (Seoul Nat’l University Technology and Business Management Cooperative Curriculum), Prof. Jeong, Jaeyong (KAIST Technology and Business Management Department), Prof. Park, Sangwook (Seoul Nat’l University Cooperative Curriculum of Science History and Scientific Philosophy), and Prof. Kim, Soyeong (KAIST Science and Technology Policy Graduate School), along with the two persons who led the presentation, Go, Yeongju, Daejeon Science and Industry Promotion Agency head and Kim, Seok-gwan, Senior Research Commissioner of STEPI.

President of STEPI Mun, Mi-ok stated “The necessity for outstanding talent is becoming ever more important for better science and technology and related innovation and development policies,” adding, “Through this forum, I hope that through our country’s science and technology policy and innovation policies, outstanding talents of policy researchers will be developed, and that this will become the starting point for raising their contributions.”

On June 4, the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), President Mun Mi-ok) held the “440th Science and Technology Policy Forum” under the theme of “National Research Institutes as They Should Be”. Its main objective was to find ways to improve the budget and legislation needed to establish the missions and objectives of national research institutes. This forum, co-hosted by the Democratic Party's Office of Rep. Hong Seong-guk and the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (Chairman Jeong Hae-gu) and supervised by the Science and Technology Policy Institute, addresses problems within the support system that arise when national policy research institutes promote national core policies as government think tanks, specifically from the perspective of the budget and legislation, and seeks to find viable solutions.

The forum began with opening remarks from Assemblyman Hong Seong-guk and Chairman Jeong Hae-gu of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, and remarks by Mun Mi-ok of the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute. It then proceeded as a discussion between heads of national research institutes and those related.

The discussion chaired by Deputy Director Song Chi-woong (Science and Technology Policy Institute) included ▲ Directions for setting up a budget and legal system that better reflects the mission and purpose of national research institutes; ▲Current issues and problems within the policy research community regarding the process of project planning and budgeting; ▲Cases and the current status of policy designation by national research institutes and science and technology research institutes; ▲Plans to improve the budget and legal system of national research institutes based on the results of the review of related laws.

The participants included Jo Yong-rae, head of the Future Strategy Team (Science and Technology Policy Institute), Choi Hwan-yong, Senior Research Fellow (Korea Legislation Research Institute), Kim Hyeon-no, head of the Planning and Coordination Team (Korea Environment Institute), and Kim Tae-woo, head of the Management Division (National Research Council of Science and Technology).

Immediately after the discussion, a forum for the heads of national research institutes was held under the supervision of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, with the participation from President Oh Jae-hak (Korea Transport Institute), Director Yoon Je-yong (Korea Environment Institute), and Director Kim Gye-hong (Korea Legislation Research Institute).

Mun Mi-ok, director of the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, stated, “Until now, national research institutes have preserved their uniqueness and specificity as research-purpose institutes carrying out policy development activities required for national economic and social development. However, there have not been enough opportunities to publicly discuss the development directions of the support system that they require to achieve the mission and purpose proper to national think tanks. We hope that this forum will present developmental alternatives for establishing the mission and role of national research institutes.”

On Friday, June 4th, the Science and Technology Policy Institute of Korea held the “2nd ASEAN-Korea Science and Technology Innovation Workshop” attended by a total of 70 public officials and experts from 10 ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This workshop, co-hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was designed to share major science and technology policies and cases of innovation between Korea and ASEAN countries under the theme of “COVID-19 economic recovery, technology, innovation and business”.

In the workshop's opening remarks, Vice President Song Chi-woong (Science and Technology Policy Institute) emphasized “the importance of using science and technology as a driving force for sustainable economic development given the history of recurring epidemics.”

In a congratulatory speech, HUL Seingheng, director of the Cambodian Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, claimed, “By following the example of Korea’s economic development through science and technology, Cambodia will not only overcome the COVID-19 pandemic through scientific and technological innovation but also will strive towards economic growth and sustainable development.”
  At this workshop, where Cambodia was taken as an example, the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation of Cambodia presented the ▲Prospects for the Science and Technology Innovation Ecosystem in Cambodia and the ▲ Roadmap for Science and Technology Innovation 2030 in Cambodia.

  After the congratulatory remarks, Director Hull Seing-haeng gave the first presentation, introducing the main roles and functions of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation of Cambodia, which was formed in March 2021. Then he presented a number of STI policy implementation plans and introduced the Cambodian Science, Technology and Innovation Council, those of who were responsible for the coordination of the 8 STI-related agencies as well as all stakeholders.

  Dr. SRUN Pagnarith, head of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Division of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, who was in charge of the second presentation, introduced the 'Cambodia Science and Technology Innovation Roadmap 2030' and emphasized necessity of the relationship between the government, industry, academia, and infrastructure, as well as the importance of empowerment.

He further stated that the Cambodia STI Roadmap 2030 is comprised of ▲Governance; ▲Education; ▲ Research; ▲ Cooperation; ▲ Ecosystems, and additionally predicted that collaboration among stakeholders would be possible through methodologies such as scope setting, baseline analysis, the establishment of vision/goal/goal timelines, and consulting workshops.

In the panel discussion, chaired by Dr. Crystal Yeo, Director of General Medical Services (Singapore Institute of Science and Technology), Senior Research Fellow Lim Deok-sun (Science and Technology Policy Institute of Korea), Senior Research Fellow Lee Jeong-won (Science and technology Policy Institute of Korea), and Dr. Tan Shin Bach (Vietnam Ministry of Science and Technology) discussed the feasibility of the Cambodia STI Roadmap 2030 and the future tasks and cooperation between countries required to achieve this goal.

On May 10 (Mon), STEPI held a non-face-to-face online celebration for its 34th anniversary (May 7 (Fri)) with only a small number of participant including award recipients in order to practice ‘social distancing’ due to COVID-19.

President Mi-ok Mun of STEPI said in a commemorative address, “Thank you for the hard work of all our staff members who fulfill our mission for the development of science and technology in Korea even in the difficult conditions under COVID-19. I hope we will work together to make STEPI comprehensively studies science, technology and innovative agendas for country, society and better life for the people”

At this event, awards were given to employees who accomplished excellent reports and the STEPlan prizes for those who showed outstanding performances.

The Excellent Report Prize was awarded to Senior Researcher Tae-jeong Ha and Researcher Seung-woo Yang of R&D Innovation Research Group, the Excellent Policy Contribution Prize to Senor Researcher Gwang-ho Lee and Researcher Jong-hwa Choi (Head of Strategy Planning Office) of Innovation System Research Group, and the Excellent Cooperation Research Prize to Researcher Chang-su Park (Head of Innovation Growth Strategy Research Headquarter), and the Excellent Research Paper Prize to Researcher Cheong-won Woo (Head of Project Planning Team). 

In addition, Researcher Hyeong-jun Ahn and Researcher Yong-rae Jo (Head of Future Strategy Team) of Innovation System Research Group were awarded with the Best Achievement Prize and the Excellent Contribution Prize, respectively.


Besides, Researcher Byeong-won Park of the Science Technology Diplomacy Policy Research Group and nine others were selected as the STEPIan of the year which is awarded to excellent employees.

The STEPI is a national research and development institute that studies how rapid technological advancement brings about changes in society and seeks ways to cope with new opportunities and risks, and this time, it forecasts the appearance of our society after COVID-19 pandemic. Activity restrictions and social distancing have been continuing for a long time, which not only blocks physical communication with the outside, but also leads to changes in our daily lives different from the past, such as enabling economic and social activities in a personalized space.

To connect these situations to opportunities, our society must try new innovations and design a ‘future vision’ that everyone can relate to. This is because only when we can vividly portray the social image of the future we hope for, we can live “the future we made” rather than to live in the “accepted future.” In this context, the STEPI has newly arranged and published a book for the public to easily understand based on the research results of the 2020 Future Research Project “The Future Society that the People desire After COVID-19.”

In order to prepare for the post-COVID19 era, it is important to capture the large trend as well as the goal and direction we should have. In line with this, this book explores the future trends that will become the new normal in the post-COVID-19 era, reflecting the unprecedented changes in each field of the society triggered by COVID-19 and the mid to long-term perspective for 10 years and beyond. Unlike other existing books that mainly deal with concerns of experts, this book contains the insights of experts and the ideas of society members in balance that came out from several workshops held with the general public beyond mere technology forecast. Based on the derived future scenarios, it analyzes the differences between the future and the present in each sector, and proposes a comprehensive countermeasure to alleviate the gap. Meanwhile, it contains short stories written by four leading science fiction writers in Korea in each field, so readers can sympathize with and imagine the future more broadly through the future scenarios, imaginations, and novels by the writers.

The post-COVID-19 era is not a distant but near future. This book, which overlooks our present and future from various perspectives, will help us to bring the upcoming post-COVID-19 era closer to our vision. This book would be STEPI’s meaningful attempt to establish a new vision for the post-COVID-19 era and communication in the future society.

 Contents of major discussions at the 118th General Meeting of CSTP

 Discussion on the schedule of next general meeting

- Date and Venue: April 14 (Wed) 13:00~14:00, Small meeting room #545 & Zoom

- Speaker: Jong-hwa Choi, Chief of Strategic Planning Office

- Subject: “Hey, have you tried it?” Introduction of 28 innovation tasks of STEPI and collecting opinions from members

On April 14, the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held an internal exchange meeting aimed at learning about research experiences and latest policy issues related to science and technology innovation and promoting communication among members by sharing institutional management issues.

The first internal exchange meeting was held as a forum for requirements for improving strategic planning and management support, selecting short and long term solutions, and collecting opinions from members. Therefore, a total of 28 innovation tasks were selected by gathering the innovation tasks suggested by the departments under the Strategic Planning and Management Division, and the selected tasks were classified into three stages of significance (upper, middle, and lower) in consideration of consumer convenience, urgency, and efficiency.

After the announcement, the members gave various opinions, and in particular, they emphasized that there is a need to improve work understanding among the employees by establishing a bulletin board for the innovation task promotion status board to share the work progress. In addition, they mentioned that mutual understanding will be enhanced through internally sharing such innovation tasks, making it easier to discover additional innovation tasks.

As such, the internal exchange meeting became a place to sympathize with the need for continuous interest in the management issues of the institute, and it was found that continuous improvement should be accompanied by listening to the opinions of members.

STEPI leads the vitalization of UNESCO Asia Science and Technology Policy Network
- Acting as a cooperation window in Korea and vice-chairman -

 Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI, President Mi-ok Moon) announced that it began to work as a cooperative window for the Korean side of UNESCO Science and Technology Policy Asian Network (STEPAN), Researcher Eun-jeong Shin (Head of Science and Technology Diplomat Policy Research Group), and Associate Researcher In-gyeong Seon were elected to Vice Chairmen of STEPAN.
- UNESCO Asia-Pacific Science Office* held a regional meeting of Science and Technology Engineering Innovation in March and proposed to resume the ‘Science and Technology Policy Asian Network (STEPAN)’**, which had been suspended.
* UNESCO Asia-Pacific Science Office: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized organization under the United Nations which promotes education, science, culture and international cooperation. It’s Asia-Pacific Science Office is in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is promoting science projects with Asia-Pacific member states.
** Science and Technology Policy Asian Network (STEPAN): UNESCO STEPAN was established in 1988 and operated until 2011, and STEPI participated in it as a cooperation window for Korea at that time.

 The meeting was held online and attended by 40 people from 16 countries recommended by the UNESCO National Committee including STEPI.
- The participants supported resumption of STEPAN, and proposed to expand the scope of  network from Asia to Asia-Pacific, and they discussed the charter and action plan for future activities of STEPAN, and plans for electing chairman and vice chairmen.

 In the online election after the meeting, Researcher Eun-jung Shin of STEPI Associate Researcher In-gyeong Seon were elected as vice-chairmen of STEPAN.
- As vice-chairmen, Researcher Eun-jeong Shin will serve for the Open Science Sector, and Associate Researcher In-gyeong Seon will support the Sustainable Development Technology Sector, and the vice-chairman's term of office is four years.

UNESCO STEPAN plans to act as a policy network to share and discuss all sorts of issues related to science and technology policy in Asia-Pacific in addition to open science and sustainable development technology.
- At the first official meeting which will be held in April led by the new chairman and vice-chairmen, the charter and action plans of STEPAN will finalized.

 President Mi-ok Moon of STEPI said “The revival of UNESCO STEPAN will be a very symbolic opportunity in the context of increasing the role of science and technology for solving global problems, and activities in the Asia-Pacific region are particularly important. As the cooperation window of Korea’s side and vice-chairman of key action areas, STEPI will accelerate the activities of STEPAN.”

STEPI held the 「Innobiz Innovation Joint Seminar」 with the Innobiz Institute for Policy Studies and the Small and Medium Business Institute on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. The topic of this seminar was the achievements and tasks of innovation growth. It invited experts in science and technology and corporate innovation as speakers to evaluate the performance of innovative growth promoted by the government through performance analysis on technological innovation of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and to seek future policy tasks. President Mi-ok Moon of STEPI said “Innovative SMEs are playing the role of core in the national economy of Korea, and are striving for technological innovation even under the COVID-19 situation. I hope that this seminar will serve as an opportunity to share their role and task, and this will be a place to continue constructive discussions on the direction in which science and technology innovation policies in the New Normal Era move forward.”

On April 5 (Mon), the 1st Vice Minister Hong-taek Yong of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited the Science and Technology Policy Institute.

This visit was held as part of the 'STEPI Monday Dialogue’, a new high-level dialogue platform in which management and researchers participate together to actively respond to policy demands of the government.

At this meeting, the participants had diverse discussions on R&D policies including basic research, major policy issues including science and technology manpower policies, and policy cooperations in response to national emergencies and crises.

As of now, national R&D projects spend 100 trillion. There was in-depth discussion on how to revise the system that is used to assess and utilize national R&D projects at the Plaza Seoul. This event was streamed online on February 4.

The discussion was hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and supervised by the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), and was streamed online. 

Seok-Rae LEE (Head of Performance Evaluation Policy Bureau, Ministry of Science and ICT) made opening remarks, followed by the presentation by Seung-Woo YANG (Chief Director from STEPI). The presentation discussed how to revise the system for assessing and using research. In this presentation, YANG touched on four main topics. They are the changes that national R&D projects face from home and abroad and the necessity to build response system, the role of performance assessment system within National Innovation System (NIS) and status of research performance assessment method, issues regarding the system to assess and use research performance and how to revise relevant law and institution, and how to revise the system to assess and use research performance and how to approach legislation in the future. 

The presentation was followed by a comprehensive discussion session. This session was joined by leaders from industry, academia, research institution, and public organization. They are Seok-Hun LEE (president of Scientists and Engineers' Association of National Research Institutes (SEANRI) and senior researcher from Korea Basic Science Institute), Joon-Ho LEE (president of the association of deans from the colleges of science in Korea and dean of College of Natural Science, SNU), Sung-Hoon CHUNG (former president of the association of deans from the colleges of engineering in Korea and Executive Vice President of Business and External Relations, Hanyang University), Won-Yong KIM (former head of KUCRI and Executive Vice President for Research, CAU), Ae-Ri MOON (director of National Strategic R&D Programs, National Research Foundation of Korea), and Eun-Young LEE (head of Performance Evaluation Policy Division, Ministry of Science and ICT). They discussed how to revise the method for assessing research performance. 

In this discussion, the participants touched on requests from academia and research community on how to revise the system to assess and use research performance. They also discussed how the Ministry of Science and ICT and management institutes can provide support and improve institution, 

STEPI plans to continue cooperating with the Ministry and relevant committee in the National Assembly to work on revising the system for national R&D projects. 

The 15th president of STEPI, Dr. Mi Ock Mun started working after the online inauguration ceremony on January 19, 2021.

In her inauguration address, Dr. Mun said, “The researches by STEPI should be supported with policies to be expanded and utilized in the fields of industrial economy, social and cultural system, regional innovation, and global cooperation so that the innovations in science and technology could extend to national innovation. We should propose policies one step ahead to expect Korea to become a global leading country where ‘better science technology makes better life’, and the policies should be guaranteed with implementation and effectiveness.”

Dr. Mun graduated from the Department of Physics at Pohang University of Science and Technology, and received her master's and doctorate degrees from the same graduate school. After serving as a member of the 20th National Assembly, she served as the advisor to the President for science and technology at the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, and the first vice minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

As a member of the 20th National Assembly, Dr. Mun submitted a bill to revive the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Vice Prime Minister-level Ministry of Science and Technology. The National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Science (NRC) under the Prime Minister held the 294th Board of Directors on January 15, and appointed Dr. Mun as the 15th President of the Science and Technology Policy Institute.

With the increase in food delivery and online shopping due to COVID-19, the Korean Peninsula is suffering from household wastes. The export route of recycling products sent to China has been also blocked, making the situation even worse. In addition, marine debris floating in the sea threatens the Earth's ecosystem.

The trash crisis is not a recent problem. For a long time, the government has devised various policies to solve this problem, but it is considered a ‘dilemma’ since there’s no clear solution. To solve this social difficulty, the science and technology community is preparing a new alternative.

STEPI (Science and Technology Policy Institute · President Hwang-hee Cho) has promoted ‘A study on innovation strategies for economic and social systems from the perspective of science and technology for solving national difficulties’ and has been seeking knowledge, systems, methods, and means for breaking through the social challenges.

At the STEPI’s briefing of research contents to solve national difficulties through online and offline on the 9th, policy alternatives for domestic waste issue was suggested such as Introducing a trading system for efficient waste disposal and preparing plans to revitalize the industry, Establishing a recycling certification organization, and Establishing a circulation base for recycled PET bottles. In addition, alternatives to solve the problems of national defense (corruption in defense businesses  / advanced military science and technology) and regional difficulties (decline of local industry /decline of regional population) were also presented.

Deputy Researcher Hyeok Lee of STEPI who is in charge of the research results of the Environmental Division, diagnosed the path that the environmental problem became a dilemma and the complexity through analysis on the interested parties.  As a result, household waste is proven to be a dilemma with high complexity and uncertainty although it has long been regarded as a difficult problem due to its repetitive occurrence, but the solution seems far off yet even with policy-level efforts.

In order to solve the problems of household waste, he said, “The system should be improved to emphasize solving the problem through market such as industry revitalization.” It seems that he emphasized the need to revitalize the industry for efficient waste treatment, such as establishing a transaction system for efficient waste disposal or a recycling certification organization, and installation of environment-friendly incineration treatment facilities.

Regarding marine debris, he said, “The issue has begun to attract attention since the 2000s. If a solution is not properly prepared now, the complexity and uncertainty are likely to intensify over time. The public role is emphasized as there is a possibility of conflict among ministries. However, since it is linked to the household waste issue, the necessary of policy that links the two is empathized.”

Deputy Researcher Hyeok Lee with the experts from industry, academy and institutes prioritized policy alternatives and selected 12 for household waste and 10 for marine waste as a result of analysis through AHP (refer to the table above). However, he said, “The existing platform has been supplemented and enhanced by applying the national challenge platform, and new solutions have been sought through experts with various interests in the environmental field, but there are still areas to be supplemented.” He revealed additional research plans for the future.

Senior Researcher Tae-Jung Ha at STEPI presented an analysis focusing on corruption in defense businesses in the field of diplomacy/defense and advanced military science and technology. According to him, in the past, the corruption in defense industry was related to power such as slush funds of former presidents or high-ranking officials, but it changed when the Defense Acquisition Program Administration was established to prevent this. Although the scale became smaller, other forms of corruption began to emerge such as exaggerating costs, leaking business secrets, and manipulating tax invoices.

Regarding the advanced military science and technology, Senior Researcher Ha said, “Due to the decrease in the number of troops because of the population reduction, the need for defense based on science and technology is being emphasized. However, the system is not being realized, so there is a high possibility that the problem will become permanent and deepened over time.”

Furthermore, Senior Researcher Ha said establishing policy alternative pool through analysis on complexity of each challenge and integration between difficult issues and diagnizing uncertainty through analysis of causal loop map are priority and  ‘Strenthening Defense Leadership’ is the most urgent policy.

In addition, appropriate level of audit system, simplification of audit procedures, restructuring of the innovative defense planning and management system (PPBEES), and securing technical planning and R&D performance capabilities of the requirement military were presented as priorities.

Deputy Researcher Woong-gyu Han at STEPI announced the results of regional department research as an alternative to regional industry decline and regional population reduction, such as ‘Reinforcement of cooperation among neighboring regions and creation of industrial clusters in the pan regional economic zone,’ ‘Reinforcement of youth support for regional industry promotion,’ and ‘Improving settlement conditions and expanding policies supporting women.’ In particular, he emphasized that “Linkage and cooperation between regions are important beyond the efforts of individual regional innovation.”

In the following discussion, former ADD Director In-ho Kim said, “Corruption in defense industry is an issue that has continued from the past to the present, and the issue of high-tech science military continues to the future. However, the deeper the valley of the corruption in defense industry, the more the high-tech science military is slowing down. Therefore, these two issues cannot be separated. PPBEES was introduced 40 years ago in 1979  for the efficiency of increased defense tax enforcement. Only by innovatively changing it to fit the science and technology base, we will be able to overcome the difficulties without falling behind in international defense industry.”

Professor Yong-cheol Jang at Chungnam National University said, “The issue of waste is closely connected with the general public, but the contents of the presentation were difficult for the people to understand. We should talk about this easily so the general public also recognizes it as a problem and refer to public opinion.”

CEO Seok-bong Lee of DaedeokNet also said “We select and talk about challenges, but they can be actually solved when not only experts but also the general public empathize with the problem.” And he also said “Please consider the contents for the general public to empathize.”

Director Chang-yoon Lee at the Ministry of Science and ICT who has been promoting the regional subcommittee empathized, “Rather than simply presenting a policy, we should seek and present solid policy suggestions that can solve the problems by mobilizing humanities society and science society and conduct supplement works.”

Professor Dong-pil Cheon of Pukyong National University suggested a further study saying, “I hope we can see what effect will be achieved when the proposal from the forum is implemented as a policy.”

The ‘2020 Global Korea Expo’, which examines the achievements of international cooperation conducted by Korea and seeks future directions, began its three-day schedule at The K Hotel in Seoul on the 9th.
This expo was hosted by the National Research Council of Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, and a total of 150 organizations including government ministries, public institutions, and national research institutes participated.

At the opening ceremony on the morning of the first day, more than 30 domestic and foreign key figures participated through online and offline including Prime Minister Sye-gyun Jeong, Chairman of Congress Byeong-seok Park, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Angel Gurria, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Seong-hyuk Moon, and Gyeongbuk-do Governor Chul-woo Lee.

Chairman of the Board Kyung-ryung Seong of National Research Council of Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, who prepared this event said, “This is the first attempt to explore Korea’s future international cooperation strategy. Since the world is experiencing unprecedented health crisis and economic crisis at the same time, we also should help countries in poorer situations and contribute to common prosperity.”

There were also online congratulatory remarks by major domestic and foreign figures.
Prime Minister Sye-gyun Jeong said through a video message, “We have been faithfully serving as a bridge between developed and developing countries. In particular, this year, we are actively responding to requests for cooperation from other countries around the world including developing countries during the COVID-19 crisis. I hope that various visions and strategies are suggested for Korea to advance as a leader in the international society in the post-coronavirus era.”

OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said “Korea is the only country that has become a donor country from an aid recipient country, and is a role model for many developing countries. This expo is expected to show Korea's commitment to supporting developing countries and its will to join in efforts to end COVID-19.”

At the opening ceremony, the ‘Vision Declaration’ was addressed that Korea should seek to become a world leader contributing to world peace, prosperity and sustainable development.

As a special event, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sung-hyuk Moon  and Chairman of Congress Byeong-seok Park connected with the Antarctic Research Institute via real-time video conference, interviewed with the crew members dispatched to Antarctica, and delivered a message of support to them.

Prime Minister of Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland gave a keynote speech through online under the theme ‘International Cooperation for World Peace and Sustainable Development’.

The pre-ceremony performance of the group Inalchi Band attracted worldwide attention with traditional Korean Pansori music mixed with modern pop.

This expo was designed to take a look at the diverse and rich experiences of Korea, the only country in the world that has converted ‘from a beneficiary country to a donor country’.

In particular, the expo focuses on roles and tasks in the post-coronavirus era, such as ‘K-Quarantine’ and the Korean New Deal.

The expo consisted of various programs such as conferences, presentations of best practices by institution, youth job consulting, exhibitions and public relations, and cultural events.

The conference was proceeded under 19 topics such as K-quarantine and health care Countermeasures on the environment and climate change Urban development eco-smart city Inclusive multilateralism initiative and strategy.

36 organizations including the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) presented approximately 100 best practices of international cooperation through online and offline.
All programs are also broadcast online in consideration of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Living in the age of COVID-19 means adapting to a ‘new normal’ and preparing for what’s to come next.
At present, we are witnessing unprecedented socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting diverse sectors including acceleration of digital transformation and reorganization of industries around the world.

The STEPI International Symposium will focus on STI responding COVID-19 era and digital transformation,
aiming to seek ways to innovate Korea’s STI policy by exploring new opportunities and challenges as well as policies of other countries.

​The event will be held remotely and we look forward to meeting you online at the symposium.

This international symposium was held under the theme of ‘Innovate Science and Technology Innovation Policy: Science and Technology Innovation Policy in Response to the Era of With Coronavirus and Digital Transition’. A large number of domestic and foreign science and technology innovation experts participated in this symposium to identify challenges from various cases and seek new opportunities.

Beginning with the opening remarks by President Hwang-hee Cho of STEPI and the congratulatory address by 1st Vice Minister Byeong-seon Jeong of Ministry of Science and ICT, domestic and overseas experts gave presentations as follows. Alessandra Colecchia, Chief of Science and Technology Innovation Team of OECD on ‘The Digital Transition Era and Science and Technology Innovation Policy after COVID-19’  Former Chancellor Mel Horwich of Hungary CEU Business School on ‘The Form of the Future US Innovation Portfolio and the Impact of Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic’ Chief Carlston Eckhart of TUV Rheinland Consulting Digital Manufacturing Team on ‘Flexible Production through Digital Transformation: The 4th Industrial Revolution and GAIA-X’ ▷ Professor Patarapong Intarakumnerd of Graduate School of Policy Studies in Japan on ‘The Innovation Policy in South Asia in accordance with COVID-19’ President Mekuria Teklemariam of Policy Research Institute in Ethiopia on ‘the Development of ICT policy to fight COVID-19 in Africa: Collaborative project based on best practice cases in Korea’.

As domestic experts, Researcher Il-young Jeong of STEPI presented ‘The Future of the Korean Digital Healthcare Industry: Challenges and Possibilities, and ▷Chief Myeong-hwa Lee of STEPI National Research Development Analysis Group on ‘Korea's COVID-19 Response Strategies and Implications.’

President Hwang-hee Cho of STEPI said, “In the process of adapting to environmental changes resulting from COVID-19 pandemic and building a flexible and resilient system throughout the economy and society, the importance of science and technology innovation is being emphasized more and more. I hope that through this event, we share how major countries approach the big variable called COVID-19 in innovation, and discuss the further direction of the science and technology innovation policies in the new normal era.”

A forum was held to examine various community · technology experiments conducted in the regions such as sustainable circulation · sharing · caring economy and agricultural and rural areas, and to expand them to the level of the whole nation and society.

The 21st Living Lab Network Forum was held as an online live broadcast on November 25 (Wed) at 2pm at Jeonju Lahan Hotel under the theme of ‘Living Lab Platform and Local Capitalization & Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Living Lab.’
[Source] [KNoLL] Results of the 21st Korea Living Lab Network Forum | Author Science and Technology and Social Innovation

This forum was jointly hosted by STEPI, Korea Network of Living Labs (KNoLL), Jeonbuk Network of Living Labs (JNOLL), Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Education, Jeollabuk-do, Korea Research Foundation, and National Information Society Agency, and jointly organized by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jeonbuk Digital Social Innovation Center, Jeonbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center, Jeonju University, Jeonju IT & CT Promotion Agency, and the Jeonbuk Branch of Korea Institute of Science and Technology. It gathered Living Lab activists and experts from all over the country to share the achievements and plan the spread of sustainable agricultural and rural areas, caring economy, and circular economy.

The forum began with an opening address by Professor Dong-sung Han (President of Jeonju National University Regional Innovation Center) who is the chairman of the Jeonbuk Living Lab Network Promotion Committee, and a welcome speech by the co-chairman,  Kwang-jin Park (Jeonbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center). It was followed by congratulatory remarks by Congressman Yun-deok Kim, a member of the National Assembly representing Wansan-gu and Congressman  Ho-young Ahn, a member of National Assembly representing Wangju, Muju, Jinan, and Jangsu. After that, the forum had two sessions: ‘Living Lab Platform and Local Capitalization’ and ‘Living Lab for Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Community’.
 

The first session was on ‘The Living Lab Platform and Local Capitalization’. Jae-min Lee (Head of Jeonju University LINC+ Social Economy Collaboration Center) presented ‘The Local Currency and Asset Conversion’ centering on the Kkotjeon (flower coin), which is Jeonju’s regional currency, and points of sharing economy, Hyung-woong Park (Head of Jeonbuk Digital Social Innovation Center) presented ‘A town that innovates through joint nurturing’ centering on the diffusion welfare center, and Sun-young Kim (Secretary General of Band Foundation) presented ‘Social Finance and Citizen Capitalization,’ and examined various living lab experiment projects in each region, such as sharing economy, caring economy, and circular economy.

Center Head Jae-min Lee presented the results of the Living Lab with Kkotjeon, the community currency of Jeonju, and said that the local currency should be designed in a regional circulation type rather than economic incentives to secure persistency, and it was confirmed that the community currency is a way to raise awareness of contribution to the community and a sense of belonging and pride in the region. 

Center Head Hyung-woong  Park, presented a case of Haksan Welfare Center in Pyeonghwa-dong, Jeonju, and talked about the Living Lab project which was making a joint nurturing village where children are happy. He introduced a vision to make a firm, reassuring, and generous village, and missions with six action plans, and specific plans including encouraged children, confident parents, and money-making village.

Secretary General Seon-young Kim introduced the status of currently spreading social finance and regional capitalization and shared the cases of citizens’ capitalization of Habit Together,  assetization of Mokpo Geonmaek (dried fish with beer), and other assetization projects being promoted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security other institutions. He emphasized that these assetization projects are in the early stages and require many institutional supplements and encouragement policies.

The first session’s panel discussion was moderated by Senior Researcher Wi-jin Song (STEPI), and participated by Executive Director Seon-mi Goh (Jeonju Medical Welfare Social Cooperative), Professor Min-soo Kim (Dongguk University), and Center Head Gyu-ok Ji (Gunsan Social Economic Center). They discussed policies of expanding assetization of diverse regional transformation experiments and structuring platform, and matters to improve.

The second session was on ‘The Living Lab for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Community.’ Researcher Ji-eun Seong (STEPI) presented ‘Application and Tasks of Living Lab for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Community,’ Byeong-seok Kim, Manager of Planning and Coordination (National Institute of Agricultural Sciences), on ‘Current Status and Tasks of Living Lab Project to Solve Rural Issues,’ and Representative Ye-won Cho (Wageningen Care Farm Research) on ‘How to Apply Living Lab to Korea's Care Farm with a Case of Dutch Care Farm.’

Researcher Ji-eun Seong (STEPI) pointed out the characteristics of Korean agriculture R&D as project planning and implementation centering on technology supplier, thesis patented-oriented evaluation, relationship between experts and users based on linear model, and the lack of comprehensive insights on   production-distribution-processing-consumption, and emphasized the need to introduce a perspective of transition to a sustainable social technology system based on the Living Lab and to establish a system for interdisciplinary research cooperation.
To this end, she argued that the problems should be solved through a horizontal network of government-researcher-farmer-consumer and emphasized the importance of agricultural/rural Living Lab platform.

Byeong-seok Kim, Manager of Planning and Coordination Division (National Institute of Agricultural Sciences), presented the current status of the Living Lab projects and future tasks to solve the pending issues of agricultural and rural areas.

Currently, 10 tasks are being carried out in the fields of agricultural facility infrastructure, agricultural production environment, and rural living environment in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Rural Affairs and Rural Development Administration, and then he introduced details. Moreover, as the development direction of the Living Lab, he emphasized that the field-centered research base should be expanded, and cooperations with farmers and workers in the field of agricultural industry are needed from the task selection to the task implementation, evaluation, and performance diffusion.

CEO Ye-won Cho (Wageningen Care Farm Research) introduced the Dutch Care Farm, which is being carried out for the socially underprivileged, and discussed ways to apply this case into Korea. Care Farm is an important part that can improve the quality of nursing care and welfare services and take charge of the increasing welfare demand. She argued that it can promote insufficient welfare services and regional development in rural areas, and provide an opportunity to heal those who are vulnerable with the existing social system.

After the presentation of the second section, panel discussion was moderated by Gyeong-mi Kim, Head of Agricultural Environment Division (National Institute of Agricultural Sciences), and Jeong-sang Lee (Jeonju National University), Representative Seong-oh Jang (Social Enterprise Welfare Union), and Chairman of the Board Soo-cheol Hwang (Center for Food, Agricultural & Rural Policy) participated and discussed about sustainable agricultural and rural society.

The 「21st Living Lab Network Forum」 was conducted in accordance with the quarantine rules for the ‘social distancing’ caused by COVID-19, so it was broadcast live online through YouTube channels (Korea Living Lab Network, University Living Lab Network, Jeonbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center, and Jeonju IT&CT Industry Promotion Agency).

Dong-sung Han, head of the Regional Innovation Center at Jeonju University, was moderator of the forum and said “As we experience COVID-19, the role of region is more important for the transformation of agricultural and rural communities and the platformization projects of the Living Lab. I hope that this forum will be an opportunity for substantial change to achieve sustainable transformation.” This forum was held in a zero-waste manner with the cooperation of the Jeonbuk Sustainability Council.

The Presidential Policy Planning Committee (Chairman: Dae-Yeop Cho) helds the Inclusive Korea New Deal Listening and Sympathy Daejeon Sejong Chungnam Great Debate under the theme ‘Korean New Deal, Finding a Way in the Region’ with the Economic and Humanities and Social Sciences Research Association (Chairman of the Board: Seung-ryung Seong), Daejeon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Tae-jeong Heo), Sejong Special Self-Governing City (Mayor: Chun-hee Lee), Chungcheongnam-do (Governor: Seung-jo Yang) STEPI (President: Hwang-hee Cho), Daejeon Sejong Institute (President: Jae-geun Jeong), Chungnam Research Institute (President: Hwang Yoon) at the headquarters of Korea Railroad Corporation (Main Auditorium) for two days from November 25 to 26.

This great debate is held to create ‘a forum of listening and empathy’ where the voices of local residents are heard at a local level and the experts from various fields contemplate and communicate together for the successful implementation of the Korean New Deal. On the first day, an opening remarks was given, and  followed by a keynote speech by Dae-yeop Cho, Chairman of Policy Planning Committee, a special lecture by Myeong-soo Son, Vice Minister for Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transparent, and sessions and round tables by three fields. On the second day, two special sessions are held.

As countries around the world are struggling with the re-spreading and prolongation of COVID-19, Korea’s K-Quarantine is recognized as a good example  for the world, and based on these achievements, K-Quarantine and K-Economy have an opportunity to lead the world.

In this trend of the time with the great change, the Korean New Deal is a future vision as a national innovation strategy to turn the crisis of COVID-19 into an opportunity for Korea’s great transformation.
 
Therefore, an opportunity for heated debate and empathy is prepared to find the answer from the ‘region’ on how to realized the Korean New Deal and ways to open the regional era for a just transition and making a foundation to become a leader country in the world. 

The opening ceremony began with the opening remarks of Dae-Yeop Cho, President of Policy Planning Committee, and welcoming addresses by Mayor Tae-Jeong Heo of Daejeon Metropolitan City, Mayor Chun-hee Lee of Sejong Special Self-Governing City, Governor Seung-jo Yang of South Chungcheongnam-do, and President Hwang-hee Cho of STEPI. Following that, Congressman Young-sun Park (Chairman of Daejeon Metropolitan City Party),  Congressman Jun-hyeon Kang (Chairman of Sejong Special Self-Governing City Party) and Congressman Hun-sik Kang (Chairman of the Chungcheongnam-do Party) gave congratulatory remarks.

Dae-yeop Cho, Chairman of the Policy Planning Committee, suggested the “Vision of the Korean New Deal as Just Transformation and World Leading Korea” through a keynote presentation on the theme of ‘The Korean New Deal and the World Leading Country’. After that, Vice Minister Myeong-soo Son gave a special lecture under the topic ‘The Korean New Deal, the Future of Korea Leaping as the First Mover’.

The first session was moderated by Professor Seon-hyuk Kim (Korea University), on the subject of ‘The Korean New Deal, What to do,’ and Jong-won Kim, Dean of AI Graduate School (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) presented  ‘Sustainable Infrastructure Filled with D.A.M’, Senior Researcher Jang-min Choo (Korea Environment Institute) on ‘Green New Deal 2.0’, and Professor Gong-hoe Kim (Gyeongsang National University) on ‘Inclusive and Safe New Deal’. The Korean New Deal policies are introduced and presentations and debate are proceeded on the direction of supplementation and development of the Korean New Deal, which was proposed by the Policy Planning Committee.

The second session was moderated by Professor Jong-heon Jin (Kongju National University) on the topic of ‘The Korean New Deal, Finding a Way in the Region’, and Policy Planning Officer Jae-yong Jeong (Daejeon Metropolitan City) presented  ‘The Beginning and Center of the Korean New Deal, Daejeon-type New Deal’, Policy Planning Officer Je-il Ryu (Sejong Special Self-Governing City) on ‘The Sejong-type New Deal for Sustainable City Development’, and Policy Planning Officer Young-myeong Kim (Chungcheongnam-do) on ‘The Comprehensive Plan of Chungnam-type New Deal.’
Following that, the direction of regional-centered the Korean New Deal was discussed. 

The third session was moderated by Professor Soon-chang So (Konkuk University) on the subject of ‘The Korean New Deal, Finding a Way in the Field’, and the voices of the industrial sites and the cases of local sites are presented and debated.

Assistant Chief Kook-hee Yoon (Korea Water Resources Corporation), CEO Young-jun Yoon (Panasia Co., Ltd), Vice-President Chang-ho Song (Lake Materials), CEO Seung-il Nam (Samsung Digital Solutions), and  Director  of Research Chan-jong Park (PlanI Co., Ltd) introduced the voices from the industrial and local sites.

On the first day, the final session was a round table under the theme of ‘The Korean New Deal, Finding a Way From Cooperation and Solidarity Between the Central and Local Regions’. The moderator was President Hwang-hee Cho (STEPI), and Chancellor Jin-suk Lee (Chungnam National University), Chancellor Seong-su Won (Kongju National University), President Jae-geun Jeong (Daejeon Sejong Research Institute), President Hwang Yoon (Chungnam Research Institute), President Jae-heyon Park (Korea Water Resources Corporation), President Gyeong-cheol Kim (Daejeon Urban Railway Corporation), Co-representative Tae-sik Yoo (Chungnam Social Group Representatives Council), and Chief Reporter Je-i Kang (Jungdo Ilbo) participated in a comprehensive examination of the central and local roles necessary for successful implementation of the Korean New Deal and the plan to establish cooperative governance.

On the second day, Special Session I was moderated by Hyeon-soo Kang (Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements), on the theme of ‘K-Quarantine, Finding a Way of the Local Economy’, and President Joon-wook Kwon (National Institute of Health) presented on ‘Future Prospects and COVID-19 Quarantine Measures’, Professor Sang-min Eom (Myongji University) on ‘COVID-19 Quarantine Policy and Economy’, Director Chang-yong Moon of Science Industry Bureau (Daejeon Metropolitan City) on ‘Finding the Way with K-Quarantine and D-Bio’, and President Man-ki Bang (Chungnam Research Institute) on ‘Chaungnam’s Measures and Implications of COVID-19’, and then, discussions were proceeded on ways to ensure safe quarantine and coexistence of local economy.

Special Session II was carried out under the theme of ‘Just Transformation of the Regional New Deal and Social Dialogue’.

The first topic, ‘The Role and Tasks of Community-Based Social Dialogue’ was moderated by Professor Ju-il Kim (Korea University of Technology and Education), and Certified Labor Attorney Won-bok Lee (Chungcheongnam-do) presented ‘The case of social dialogue operation in Chungnam,’ Chairman In-ho Cho (Korea Western Power Branch) on ‘the Cases and Tasks for Building and Operating Social Dialogues Led by Labor Union’ and there was a discussion on the presentations.

The second topic was ‘How To Do Social Dialogue for the Successful Foundation of the Regional New Deal’ moderated by President Moon-ho Lee (Walk-in Innovation Research Institute), and Chancellor Sang-tae Yeo (Youth Foundation) presented ‘Regional Social Dialogue and Institutional Innovation Plan’ and then a discussion was proceeded.

The ‘Korean New Deal Listening and Empathy Debate’ was held for the second time in Daejeon Sejong Chungnam starting from Gwangju Jeonnam on November 10-11. In consideration of the recent spread of COVID-19, thorough quarantine measures were implemented and the number of participants in the event hall was minimized. The contents of the event were broadcast in real-time through social network services of the Policy Planning Council.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI, President Hwang-hee Cho) and the Institutes of Green Bio Science & Technology Seoul National University  (GBST, President In-Bok Lee) signed a business agreement on November 23 (Mon) to establish a long-term cooperative relationship for international sustainable development in the field of science and technology innovation and development cooperation projects.

As the two organizations, which jointly recognized the importance of international cooperative activities in science and technology innovation, this agreement enables multilateral cooperations such as strengthening research capacity and creating synergy, mutual support for research infrastructure and information exchange, science and technology innovation and joint discovery of development cooperation projects.

Through this agreement, the two organizations will cooperate on the following. Development of joint research projects and carrying out science and technology policies, Joint hosting of domestic and international academic events, Matters regarding international development cooperation and support, Mutual exchange of personnel and information, and mutual use of research facilities of each other’s institution.

In addition, they plan to strengthen the mutual competitiveness and development of STEPI and GBST in the future through cooperation of other mutually agreed matters and joint development plans.
President Hwang-hee Cho of STEPI said, “I hope this agreement based on mutual trust will serve as a cornerstone for the establishment and development of international cooperative activities to strengthen global competitiveness in science and technology. Starting from today's meeting, we will endeavor to create a better future policies for science and technology innovation based on mutual trust and solidarity.”

Following the business agreement, the two institutes had 「STEPI-GBST Joint Seminar」 and shared the previous research cooperation performances and achievements such as ‘STEPI’s International Technology Innovation Cooperation Activities and Achievements (In-kyung Seon, Director of STEPI Development Cooperation Research Group)’ and 'Seoul National University Pyeongchang Campus Wellness New Industry Promotion Plan (Kang, Sang-ki, Director of GBST Planning Office)’.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI, President Hwang-Hee Cho) had an official schedule of the training course 「Policy on Science and Technology Park and Technology Transfer Commercialization」 for five days from November 16 (Mon) (November 15 (Sun) local time) to 21 (Sat) (20 (Fri) local time) for 13 working-level officials of El Salvador's Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Finance, and Science and Technology Policy Division under Minister of Innovation.

This event was jointly held by STEPI and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA, Chairman of the Board Mi-kyung Lee) to deliver know-how of science and technology innovation policies through online since the previously conducted training program by invitation was impossible to do this time due to the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

This training was conducted for the socio-economic development of El Salvador and various online programs were offered such as Planning and development of science and technology innovation policies, Technology transfer and commercialization,Video lectures by experts in science and technology fields such as operation of science and technology complexes, Q & A, Online seminars for action plan, Team-specific activities for action plan.

In particular, video lectures by experts with abundant field experiences related to establishment of science and technology policies and technology transfer of Korea were provided with specific cases. Moreover, based on in-depth analysis of El Salvador's technology transfer status and major issues through workshops with domestic experts, an action plan was also established and real-time video conference was conducted on the activation of technology transfer commercialization.

President Hwang-hee Cho of STEPI said “I hope that this online training will help El Salvador understand the process and experience of Korean science and technology development, and promote development of science and technology complex and technology transfer projects. We plan to continue the cooperation between two countries including support for developing the established action plan together.”

Furthermore, this training was the second year program of 「Science Technology Park Policy and Technology Transfer Commercialization」 which has been conducted since 2019 to support establishing a foundation for science and technology cooperation between Korea and developing countries and help excellent science and technology experts and companies advance abroad in the future by contributing to strengthening the capacity of the governments of developing countries in science and technology innovation policies.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) together with the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) had a symposium on the 2nd to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of late Songgok Dr. Choi Hyeong-seob.

This symposium was held to remind and publicize the achievements and spirits in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of late Songgok Dr. Choi Hyeong-seob (Nov.2, 1920-May 29, 2004) who laid the foundation for Korean science and technology and contributed to the national development.

This event was sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT and co-hosted by KIST, STEPI, and the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST).

Especially, in connection with STEPI's 438th Science and Technology Policy Forum, this symposium was broadcast live online and general public could watch it through YouTube.

The event began with the opening remarks of President Yoon Seok-jin of KIST, followed by welcoming speeches from President Cho Hwang-hee of STEPI, Chairman Lee Woo-il of KOFST and Chairman Park Ho-gun of KIST Association, and then congratulatory messages from Chairman Lee Won-wook of Science and Technology Information Communication Broadcasting Committee and Hong-Taek Yong Head of Research and Development Policy Division of Ministry of Science and Technology Information and Communication.

The symposium was started with the presentation of ‘Korean Science and Technology Designer, Dr. Choi Hyeong-seob’, by professor Mun Man-yong of Chonbuk National University, and former chancellor Yeom Jae-ho of Korea University gave a topic presentation of ‘The Leadership of Dr. Choi Hyeong-seob and the Future of Korea.’ Moreover, Ryo Hirasawa, an emeritus professor at Tokyo University, who has visited Korea every year on the anniversary of the late Dr. Choi Hyeong-seob, commemorated him through video this time.

Afterwards, the panel discussion was moderated by Park Won-hoon former president of KIST, and the discussion was participated by Choi Young-rak former president of STEPI, Professor Choi Hyung-seop of Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Kim Eun-young former president of KIST, and Ku Jong-min senior researcher at KIST about the footsteps of Dr. Choi and the future of science and technology in Korea.

Director Yoon Seok-jin of KIST said, “I hope that this will be an opportunity to remind the late Dr. Choi Hyeong-seob’s achievements, philosophy, and enthusiasm that have contributed to the development of Korean science and technology. I hope that his spirit will be passed on to the current generation of researchers and will be a great motivation for the researches that open up the future.”

Songgok Dr. Choi Hyeong-seob was the first director of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology as a scientist who fulfilled his role as a pioneer in the dawn of the Korean science and technology. He received a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Minnesota and then worked at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST at that time) as director and served as Minister of Science and Technology for the longest time (7 years), laying the foundation for theory and policy of Korea's science and technology development theory and policy.

After that, he served as the chairman of the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies, and passed away on May 29, 2004 and was buried at Daejeon National Cemetery. His achievements as a scientist in his life include 12 books such as ‘The Research Institute Where Lights Doesn’t Go Out’ and 120 research papers in the fields of metallurgical engineering and science and technology policy. He was awarded Order of Civil Merit Rose of Sharon Medal in 1996.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) and the Women's Economic Research Institute, an affiliate of the Women's Business Center, announced on the 26th that they would hold the ‘437th Science and Technology Policy Forum’. The forum was held at 2pm on the 27th and was broadcast live online.

 
The forum was set up to explore policy tasks to revitalize women's business activities and inspire entrepreneurship. Relevant organizations, ministries and experts interested in women's business, business activities, and entrepreneurship participated in the forum.

 
Research Fellow Young-Hwan Kim (STEPI) gave the opening presentation on ‘The characteristics of Female Entrepreneurship and Ways to Promote Start-up by Women.’ Research Fellow Kim Young-hwan emphasized the need for study on the female entrepreneurship and start-up, and explained that female entrepreneurship has a different process and demand/supply factors than that of existing male-centered entrepreneurship. In addition, he described about the achievements, major current status, and strengths and difficulties of female entrepreneurships to date, and the opportunity factors for female entrepreneurship in terms of socioeconomic dimension, industry and market level, corporate and business level, and household and individual level.

In the following presentation, CEO Song Hyun-ok (Dasom Information) talked on ‘The Success Cases of Women’s Enterprises through Startup and Growth’. As a female entrepreneur and as a founder, she gave a detailed presentation on the social difficulties and the growth process of leading an IT company. Also, as an experienced person, she delivered an impassioned talk about
suggestions for women's enterprises in the growth period, and how the support for women's enterprises can be achieved realistically.

 
In the discussion conducted by Vice President Song Chi-woong of STEPI as the moderator, △ Kim Moon-sun (Hanyang University) △ Kim Mi-ran (Korea Institute for Women Entrepreneurship) △ Research Fellow Bo-ryeKim (Women's Economic Research Institute) Secretary Lee Kyung-gyu (Small and Medium Venture Business Department) and △ CEO Lee Jeong-hee (Kickstart Investment)participated.
 
For more information, visit the Website of Science and Technology Policy Institute [Science and Technology Policy Forum] tab or the Women's Enterprise Information Portal Women's Business Institute.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) announced on the 25th that it has explored the direction of data-based R&D management policy through the ‘436th Science and Technology Policy Forum’.

 
This forum co-hosted by STEPI and the Korea Technology Innovation Society and organized by STEPI was held on the 23rd. Data-based R&D management policy to enhance productivity of national R&D development was discussed under the theme of ‘Data-based National R&D Management Innovation Plan.’

 
Senior Research Fellow Hwang Seok-won gave a presentation on ‘Data-based R&D Management Innovation Plan’ and Senior Researcher Kang Hee-jong on ‘Data Infrastructure Innovation Plan for R&D Management System’.

 
General Manager Yang Seung-woo of Innovation System Research Division moderated the panel discussion and General Manager Kim Jae-soo of National Science and Technology Data Division (Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information), Professor Lee Min-gyu (Pukyong National University), Director Lee Seok-rae of Performance Evaluation (Ministry of Science and Technology Information and Communication), Associate Research Fellow Yeo Young-joon (National Assembly Futures Institute) and Senior Reporter Oh Chun-ho (Korea Economic Daily) participated in it on the specific aspects of the data-based R&D management policy.

 
President Cho Hwang-hee said, “According to the research support system integration plan announced in January 2019, different regulations are being standardized which had been different for each institution, and various research support systems of each institution are being integrated and reorganized. We look forward to providing innovative policy alternatives for data-based R&D management such as building a data platform through this forum.”

On September 16th, Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) held the 435th Science&Technology Policy Forum with the theme of “technology commercialization in the 4th Industrial Revolution: 20 years of policy achievement and remaining task” at Grand Hyatt Seoul and live streamed the forum.

This event was held to celebrate the 20 years of history of technology commercialization policies in Korea. It was begun with presentations of Soo-Jeoung SOHN (Research Fellow from STEPI) and Chi-Ho CHOI (President of KARIT).

Research Fellow SOHN pointed out that science, technology, and innovation should lead the growth of our economy and society, and we should improve added value, quality of life, and quality of knowledge. Moreover, SOHN touched on the advance of technology commercialization in the past 20 years, and proposed three pieces of policy advice for the future. First, we need to find out how to utilize “growth-engine” projects in a more organic way. In the past two decades, legislation about technology transfer and commercialization has emerged but there has not been organic connection. Second, we need to identify role of R&I and review transferred technology at the supplier level. Third, we need a platform to oversee group commercialization.

President CHOI from KARIT delivered a presentation on accomplishment of public technology commercialization and our remaining tasks, and focused on the perspective of technology supplier to suggest a direction and propose measures to facilitate technology transfer and commercialization.

In 2000, “TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND COMMERCIALIZATION PROMOTION ACT” was enacted in order to promote commercialization. This involved transferring technology from public research institute to private sector. Also, this act was enacted to build a foundation for technology transfer, assessment, and data distribution so that technology from private sector can be easily traded. In sum, this act was enacted to enhance technological competence of industry as a whole.

The number of technology transfers in Korea increased by 2.4 times from 2011 to 2018, which marks a quantitative growth. In specific, the number rose from 3,420 to 8,105. At the same time, the rate of technology transfer increased by 8.3% from 26% to 34.3%. In this month, the number of companies in research complex reached 1,001.

However, the efficiency of technology transfer (which indicates the income from technology transfer compared to its R&D cost) only increased by 0.13%p. Moreover, the success rate of commercialization of transferred technology decreased from 18.3% in 2010 to 14.7% in 2018, marking a 3.6%p decline. The number of transferred technologies per contract was reduced by 16.7%.

CHOI explained that there is quality issue in Korea. The current system does not take risk to innovate, and we need to ensure validity of knowledge. CHOI pointed out that public technologies don not have commercial value, companies lack commercialization capacity, and organizations in between and market do not have capacity. Most of all, according to CHOI, we need to make efforts to bridge the gap between industry and public research community.

CHOI added that we should strengthen cooperation among industry, academia, and research community, and fortify the network of science/innovation at home and abroad. The government needs to support building solidarity and trust among stakeholders; companies should cooperate to do innovative research so that they can overcome structural challenges.

President CHO of STEPI expressed that “domestic policies for technology commercialization have found a new direction after the Act was enacted in 2000.” CHO added that “this forum should be a venue to reflect on the past 20 years of technology commercialization policies and seek further growth.”

After the two presentations, panel discussion was held. The discussion was chaired by Se-Jun LEE (Senior Research Fellow at STEPI), and joined by Jong-Heung PARK (Executive Director of ETRI), Mi-Jin SON (CEO of Sugentech), Jong-Seok LEE (Director of Market and Innovation for Industrial Technology Division, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy), Yoon-Cheol YIM (CEO of Technovalue), Ki-Sool JANG (President of KAUTM), and Sun-Hak CHO (Director in charge of technology transfer and entrepreneurship, Ministry of Science and ICT). More details about presentations and discussion can be found at the STEPI website (International Activities-Science and Technology Policy Forum).

From August 19 to 20, STEPI held the “Gender Summit Global 2020: UN SDGs Integrating Gendered Innovations in Science, Technology, and Innovation.” STEPI held this summit with Korea Federation of Women’s Science&Technology Associations, GISTeR, Green Technology Center, and PORTIA from the United Kingdom.
The summit focused on reviewing the role of gendered innovations to achieve the SDGs. At the summit, former UN Secretary General Ki-Moon Ban delivered a keynote address. Minister Ki-Young Choi from the Ministry of Science and ICT delivered a speech. There were other speakers from relevant institutions such as the UN, the World Bank, and WMO; more than 500 experts from 30 countries participated as speakers.

President Hwang-Hee Cho of STEPI made a welcoming address, and highlighted the importance of equality and diversity in research community to ensure quality science research and achieve the SDGs. At the same time, President Cho explained that the summit is expected to facilitate discussion about diversity for science, technology, and innovation.

Sang-Hee Kim, who is the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, delivered a welcoming address as well. She is the very first female Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly in Korea and also a member of the Science, ICT,

Broadcasting, and Communications Committee. At the summit, she expressed the will to take the lead in improving institution for the fields of science and technology to support gendered research.
In the keynote address, Ban highlighted the importance of women’s empowerment in science, technology, and innovation. Moreover, he emphasized that we need global partnership and awareness to support inclusive quality research that involves diverse population.

There were nine sessions in this event, and STEPI organized the eighth session with the theme of “Advancing Science and Inclusive Career Pathways in Sustainability-related Emerging Research and Innovation Fields.”

The first speaker of the session was Sarah Huggett, who is the head of Analytical Services APAC at Elsevier. Huggett examined the journey of researchers through a gender lens and focused on research participation, publication, and career progression. Huggett explained that female researchers are significantly less likely to continue with their career path than their male counterparts, both in terms of research and publication. They are less likely to participate as lead author, and we need more efforts to establish gender equality in research.

The second speaker was Rector Curt Rice from Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway, who provided insight into institution for gender equality in research. Rice explained that male researchers have conducted more research after the COVID-19 outbreak. On the other hand, female researchers have shown less research activity. Women seem to take heavier domestic burden after daycare centers closed and people started working from home.

The third speaker was Carlotta M. Arthur, who is serving as the Director of the Clare Boothe Luce Programme for Women in STEM from the Henry Luce Foundation (US). Arthur spoke about the necessity of research cooperation and training among various disciplines to resolve real-world problems. According to Arthur, real-world problems like COVID-19 require an approach that involves not only health but also economics and psychology; however, the current research system does not support this comprehensive approach.

The fourth speaker was Laura Camfield, who is a Professor at the University of East Anglia (UK). Camfield touched on education about study methodology in terms of gender and social context. Camfield mentioned the decision factors of research topic and method that can change depending on social role and context; we need education to ensure accuracy of cited material and distribute resource according to study conditions.

The fifth speaker, Professor Myong-Sook Oh at Hongik University, spoke about the efforts to include more women in chemical engineering. Oh explained that women tend to appreciate social value more; therefore, to motivate more women to take a social role, we need research that focus on social value and environment. At the same time, Oh explained that female researchers are found only in specific sub-sectors under chemical engineering, which is an issue that we need to address.

The sixth speaker was Dorothea Strueber, who is the Manager of SDSN in Spain. Strueber introduced the policies of SDSN member institutions for SDGs, and explained how SDSN engages in global SDG study and education. Strueber introduced the SDSN program for monitoring and solution, and policies for international support and cooperation as well.

The last speaker of the session was So-Young Kim, who is the Professor leading Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy at KAIST. Kim asked, “why so few women of science at the top?” Kim explained that women are still a minority in major positions of science and technology fields; they are a minority among new and incumbent positions, project managers, heads of organizations, and award winners. Kim added that the number of women is growing slowly, and many women in the STEM field are taking temporary position and experiencing career disruption due to childrearing burden. Some of the major causes are difficulties found in organization structure, research activity, and research culture; Kim expressed that we need to identify the root causes and suggest effective solution.

The 20th Korea Living Lab Network Forum was held with Gyeongnam Living Lab Network Launching Ceremony at Changwon Convention Center On July 22.

More than 120 people including the organizations participating in the network and those related to living lab network in other regions attended the launching ceremony. 21 organizations including state-owned corporations, state-owned organizations, research institutes as well as universities and related civic groups in Gyeongnam Province participated in the ‘Gyeongnam Living Lab Network.’ Their policy is to spread innovation across all sectors of society such as industry, economy, education, and urban development with various innovative actors. Since the citizens participate in every process and take leading role in the Living Lab, it can naturally become a consumer-oriented autonomous social-problem solution method.

Governor Kim Kyung-soo said in a welcoming address on this day, “There is always an answer in the field, and the citizens in the field know the best way to solve problems. The Living Lab is a textbook to solve problems and the activities match the slogan of our province ‘Make New Gyeongnam Together.’

Following the launching ceremony, Senior Research Fellow Song Wi-jin of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Policy gave a keynote speech at the ‘Korea Living Lab Network Forum.’ After that, Yun Nan-sil, Head of Gyeongnam Society Innovation Promotion Bureau, Jeong Eun-hee, Head of Gyeongnam University Regional Society Innovation Center, and Professor Choi In-gyu of Inje University gave presentations.

The Gyeongnam Living Lab Network plans to conduct various activities such as sharing information, mutual exchange between participating organizations, holding regular forums, and training practitioners and activists.

The 19th Korea Living Lab Network Forum was successfully held on 18 June in the convention hall on the 4th floor of Kimdaejung Convention Center.

The forum was co-hosted by Korean Network of Living Labs (KNoLL) and Gwangju Network of Living Labs (GNoLL). At the same time, Chonnam National University, Chonnam National University LINC+ Project, Honam University LINC+ Project, Gwangju Senior Technology Center, Gwang-ju Science & Technology Promotion Agency, and JCIA supervised the forum.

A “living lab” is where end users and producers pursue innovation together in real-life situations. It involves partnership among public sector, private sector, and other people, and is recognized as a practical solution to encourage more end users to contribute to science&technology and community innovation.

To practice social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19, special measures were taken at the forum. First, the number of attendees was minimized and it included mostly working-level staff members. Second, human body temperature detector and registration system were installed at the entrance. Third, body temperature was monitored in real time. Fourth, the event was streamed online. Fifth, seats were distanced from one another.
President Byung-Seok Chung delivered welcoming remarks in written form. Oseop Jo (Buk-gu, Gwangju) and Yong-Bin Lee (Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju), who are the members of National Assembly, delivered congratulatory remarks via video.

A number of renowned experts from Gwangju and Chonnam shared their experience. People who have experience in smart aging R&D, community care service, and other living lab activities delivered presentations and joined discussion. People from universities, public organizations, research institutes, and civil society shared their experience in living lab R&D and community innovation.

The first keynote lecture (via video) was by Director Hisashi Haraguchi from Omuta Future Co-creation Center. Haraguchi introduced “Life Salon,” which is linked to community care system in Omuta, Fukuoka (Omuta is 20 years ahead other communities in Japan in terms of aging). Haraguchi introduced living lab management cooperation system and organization structure. When different teams provide welfare, health, industry, and employment services to people in need, there were difficulties due to vertical system management; Haraguchi emphasized more comprehensive and “person-centered” service delivery for welfare, health, education, and employment.

The second keynote lecture was delivered by a globally renowned scholar in the field of aging, Professor Sang-Cheol Park from Chonnam National University. There are higher COVID-19 death tolls in the U.S. and European countries than in Korea; according to Park, this is partly because of technical differences but more likely due to cultural differences. Park further emphasized that we need a transition from “smart aging” to “smart well aging” that involves not only technology but also wider community culture, education, healthcare system, and national institution.

Professor Sook-Hee Jung from the department of cosmetology science at Nambu University touched on care service with fragrance, color, skincare, and nail art. Jung introduced case study of living lab in hospital and healthcare-at-home service center, and suggested combining this with AI to create new services and industries.

Manager Hyeong-Jin Na from JCIA introduced a living lab in Naju that works with dementia patients by using ICT, and showed that there is a project that involves environment, transport, culture, and communication to resolve social gap. This is linked to SOS lab and SW service project by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Hyun-Yong Jang, a senior team manager from Gwangju Senior Technology Center, introduced living lab that works with dementia patients and senior citizens who got injured due to falls. With living lab management process for senior citizens, it is possible to work with enterprises and build new projects.

The discussion session was chaired by Wi-Chin Song, a senior research fellow from STEPI. The discussion covered topics including living labs in Gwangju and Chonnam that work on aging, and strategies to build a new preparation model for aging by using health, ICT, cosmetic, and AI.
 

The discussion was joined by Professor Yong-Han Ko (Department of Film and Theatre at Honam University), Dr. Gwang-Sung Park (head of the aging research institute at Chonnam National University), Jung-Joo Seo (department head at Eisai Korea), Ji-Eun Sung (PD at KNoLL), Min-Cheol Shin (Director at GSTEC), and Min-Cheol Lee (Director at Gwangju Social Innovation Platform).

Professor Jae-Kook Kim, who is leading the Chonnam National University LINC+ project team, took a chief position in the leadership of this forum and mentioned that “not only Gwangju and Chonnam but also other cities in Korea should have discussion about aging society.” Kim said that “it would be great if this forum can serve as an opportunity to identify new model of aging society by considering regional characteristics of Gwangju, Chonnam, urban cities, and rural communities.”

To prepare for rapid digital transition in the era of platform economy, experts from industry, academia, and research institutes joined to discuss the future of smart manufacturing and search for direction of science&technology policies.

STEPI (President: Dr. Hwang-Hee Cho) announced that Smart Manufacturing Open Innovation Forum was held on the 5th at the Plaza Seoul to identify the future of smart manufacturing and policy direction. Also, a starting ceremony was held for “working group of smart manufacturing open innovation lab,” which is a consultative group that seeks policy initiatives.

Participants of the forum searched for response measures to rapid technological change and high uncertainty in the world. This approach is led by working group, and is called “open innovation lab method.” President Cho delivered welcoming remarks; Byung-Hwan Kim from Ministry of Economy and Finance, who is a leader of innovative growth department, delivered congratulatory remarks. Also, Hyo-Joon Kim from AHK Korea (also a Chairman of BMW Group Korea), and Director Sung-Jin Ahn of KOFAC made congratulatory remarks. Professor Sung-Ryul Kim from Gyeonggi University of Science and Technology gave a keynote lecture with the title of “Smart Manufacturing and Digital Business.” This was followed by a discussion on major policy tasks.

The “working group” of smart manufacturing open innovation lab explores policy initiatives, suggests strategic response measures, and consists of three committees and approximately 30 members, who are experts from industry, academia, and research groups.

The first committee is led by Jeong-Dan Choi from ETRI. This committee looks for policy initiative of “element technologies,” including machine and equipment, electronics, and ICT. The second committee is in charge of digital business model, and is led by Sang-Kyu Jang from SPTEK. The third committee explores test bed and Professor Kim from Gyeonggi University of Science and Technology is leading this committee. Each strives to find policy measure for smart manufacturing.

President Cho said, “it is urgent to find strategies and policy initiatives for smart manufacturing since it is expected to alter future industry and society.” Cho added that “smart manufacturing open innovation lab is significant because experts join efforts to maximize our collective intelligence to identify policy initiatives.”

This forum was held along with “Smart Manufacturing Open Innovation Lab and Research Project” that has been implemented by STEPI since January to suggest a system for policy initiatives and mobilize experts’ know-how.

National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (NRC) hosted 2020 Korea Future Forecast, a conference to discuss the future of Korea with 21 policy research institutes and other organizations. The event was held on the 28th, and was supervised by STEPI.

This year’s theme was “deep insight: to find Korea’s path in big data.” Various organizations including NRC and 21 research institutes joined to forecast the future of Korea and to reach consensus by using objective data and proven methodology.

There was a special session on how to better understand and predict external shocks such as COVID-19, which can threaten health and well-being. Many participants shared insight on how to analyze shocks and provide fast and logical response.

Overall, there was keynote lecture, special session on COVID-19, session to forecast world’s future, and session to forecast Korea’s future.

Professor Geun Lee from Seoul National University analyzed the world before and after COVID-19, and explained that we need more independent national policy for exchange rate. Lee added that “we’re not going back to normal” in terms of global economy.

Dr. Joon-Hyung Kim, who is the Chancellor of Korea National Diplomatic Academy, explained how Korea can pursue further growth. Kim cited the cases of the U.S. (free market) and China (authoritarian model). The growth model for Korea should consider both crisis and potential.

The special session covered how COVID-19 spreads and how we should respond to the pandemic as a nation.

Dr. Myong-Hwa Lee (Head of the Office of National R&D Research from STEPI) gave a presentation under the theme of “direction of new science, technology, innovation policies and lessons we learned from COVID-19.” Lee shared what current situation implies, and touched on current policy issues that we discovered.

Dr. Man-Ki Song from International Vaccine Institute explained the prospect of COVID-19 vaccine development, and how companies, research institutes, and regulatory bodies are joining efforts. Song also explained some concerns in the current situation and how we can respond to them.

In the session to forecast the world’s future, many participants shared how we can achieve innovation, prepare for new normal, and engage in international cooperation amid changes of global technology, economy, and security landscapes (including COVID-19 and digital transition).

In the next session, there was discussion on the future of Korea, and the theme was inclusive nation and innovative growth. The session covered insight on welfare, quality of life, economy, industry, company, region, environment, climate, and other factors that can affect our lives.

Among the organizations that joined this event, there were STEPI, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics&Trade, Korea Energy Economics Institute, Korea Institute of Child Care & Education, Korea Information Society Development Institute, Korea Institute for National Unification, Korea Development Institute, Korean Educational Development Institute, Korea Institute for Curriculum & Evaluation, The Korea Transport Institute, Korea Labor Institute, Korea Rural Economic Institute, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Korea Women's Development Institute, Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, National Youth Policy Institute, Korea Maritime Institute, Korea Institute of Public Administration, Korea Environment Institute, Statistical Research Institute, Korea Credit Bureau, Korea Enterprise Data, and the Korean Association of International Studies.

Kyung-Ryung Sung (Chairman of NRC) expressed that “we should work with professional groups from multiple sectors to prevent and address communicable disease. We should significantly improve our ability to forecast future and set future-oriented policy for technology, industry, economy, jobs, education, population, welfare, climate, environment, energy, north-south relations, international relations, global order change, and other topics.”

“How should national science&technology policy change in order to respond to infectious disease?” (online streaming on April 29th, 2020)

Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI, President: Hwang-Hee CHO) held the 432nd Science and Technology Policy Forum from 2:00 p.m. under the theme of “how should national science&technology policy change in order to respond to infectious disease.” There was no physical presence of audience at this live-streamed forum; many participants called for a change of national science and technology policy in order to respond to infectious disease.

Dr. Myong-Hwa LEE from STEPI delivered the first presentation, and the topic was “new direction for science and technology policy and lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak.” In this presentation, Dr. LEE noted that science and technology policy needs to focus on security of life, policy governance based on data and expertise, advanced global cooperation in research, and comprehensive innovation research. Moreover, Dr. LEE highlighted that “the R&D budget for infectious disease in 2018 was merely 1.4%” to explain the significance of security of life. Dr. LEE emphasized that “instead of simply improving efficiency, we need stable support in the medium- to long-term just like how we support national defense R&D.”

Dr. Woo-Sik SON from the research team for transmission dynamics of infectious diseases of the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences (NIMS) made a presentation about “simulation of how new infectious disease spreads.” Dr. SON highlighted the importance of creating simulation in understanding and responding to infectious disease.

Dr. SON noted that “there is no vaccine or treatment against new infectious disease, which means that non-pharmacological intervention is the only solution” and that “it is indispensable to create simulation of how infectious disease spreads and analyze the impact of prevention policy.” According to Dr. SON, “we need to design a simulation that enables us to analyze the impact of prevention policy.”

Yong-Rae CHO, who is the head of Future Strategy Team at STEPI, called for the medium- to long-term response measure by making a presentation with the theme of “science and technology strategy for security of life.”

Dr. CHO noted that “we need a measure to respond to infectious disease that might cause national shock in the longer term” and that “short-term crisis management is insufficient.”

Moreover, Dr. CHO explained how we need a new perspective to see data related to infectious disease; according to Dr. CHO, “we need to combine data from multiple sectors instead of just looking into science or medical data.”

Many others shared opinion in the following discussion, which was chaired by Vice President Chi-Ung SONG of STEPI. The discussion was joined by other participants including Dr. Man-Ki SONG, who serves as the Acting Deputy Director General of Science at the International Vaccine Institute, Professor Beom-Jun KIM from Sungkyunkwan University, Sugentech CEO Mi-Jin SON, and Vice President Seung-Kyu LEE of Korea Bio. The discussants highlighted that it is crucial to have support from government and policy measure.

Sugentech CEO Mi-Jin SON explained that “we need a policy that can quickly lead to impact by spending a large amount of research funds in the beginning in order to respond to infectious disease” and added that “no one can predict how the COVID-19 outbreak will unfold, which means we must be prepared to face the worst case scenario since we cannot even know what might happen in the autumn.”

Vice President Seung-Kyu LEE of Korea Bio said that “it is of course important to build infrastructure against infectious disease, but it is most important for government to advance regulatory system” and added that “we need a policy to create and renew diagnostic equipment and bio industry.”

President Hwang-Hee CHO explained that “there is need to establish new science and technology policy by discussing about innovative research to focus on solving problem” and added, “we hope that the opinions we heard at this forum will contribute to building forward-looking policy for science and technology.”

On April 13th, the Office of Institutional Innovation Research of the Division of Innovation System Research at STEPI held a seminar with the theme of current status of government R&D and its direction. Director Je-Joon LEE from Research System Division of the Ministry of Science and ICT joined the seminar as a speaker. Also, the seminar was joined by 18 research fellows including Chief Director Seung-Woo YANG of the Division of Innovation System Research.

At the seminar, the participants discussed the advances made so far in R&D system including joint management rules. At the same time, the participants discussed current tasks to advance R&D system and future directions under consideration.

Director Je-Joon LEE touched on the direction to improve R&D system. In this context, there are following rules to support researchers so that they can maximize potential. ① We should acknowledge innate properties of R&D such as uncertainty and unpredictability. ② We should differentiate various tasks based on their features and purposes. ③ We should clarify accountability for research and administrative tasks. ④ We should support novice research fellows and personnel who support research activities. ⑤ We should establish code of ethics based on field experience.

The seminar participants reached a consensus that we need to listen more to those in the field, have a long-term improvement measure, and better institution to prepare for the future and fundamentally enhance research activities. We should not only have better institution but also have a policy strategy presented by main center of innovation.

On April 8th, the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Studies at STEPI held a seminar to discuss the innovation ecosystem in Daejeon. Former Director Jong-Tae IHM of CCEI Daejeon and Senior Research Fellow Hye-Ran HWANG from Daejeon Sejong Research Institute joined the seminar to share their remarks.

Former Director IHM from CCEI Daejeon delivered a presentation about startup ecosystem in Daejeon and explained our tasks based on the experience in the field. There are around 30,000 skilled professionals in Daejeon with master’s or doctor’s degree. There are 26 research institutes funded by the government and 53 research institutes of large corporations. At the same time, there are industrial complex, research companies, venture firms and startups linked to KAIST. This explains why there are many tech startups in Daejeon (39%) other than the metropolitan area, and there are more state-of-art tech companies in Daejeon than in other regions; in sum, Daejeon has a favorable environment for startups. These firms have attracted investment worth 200 billion, and the overall impact to the local economy amounts to KRW 300 billion. However, it is also true that much support is required for these firms to commercialize their ideas. To this end, it is recommended to establish research center to develop BM (Business Mode), local fund of funds, open innovation forum, or a scale-up strategy such as a secondary fund.

Senior Research Fellow Hye-Ran HWANG from Daejeon Sejong Research Institute gave a presentation about policy direction to become an innovation platform city by citing the case of Daejeon. Daejeon was able to play a core role in catching up with innovation by establishing Daedeok Innopolis; however, there was a lack of clear mission in the 2000s and a delay in building research capacity to compete on the global stage. To overcome these issues, Daejeon is striving to make a transition to innovation system, and we need a fresh policy direction. As of now, there are abundant research resources such as R&D investment and human resources. There are excellent sources of knowledge as well. These factors make Daejeon a good environment for entrepreneurs. However, it is also true that its small size has limitations. Also, most of the support is utilized to incubate startups; new firms find it difficult to survive in the market, and they do not have enough access to venture capital. In order to address these issues, we can try the following according to Senior Research Fellow HWANG. △ To build an innovation platform city that can serve as a hub to spread innovation by consolidating and offering various service functions for “commercialization of research outcome”△ Re-creating Daedeok Innopolis by organizing urban innovation space △ To nurture venture firms and plan commercialization of innovative R&D by establishing cooperation between academia and industry in Daejeon. This way, Daejeon can establish innovation governance that pursues innovation-driven local growth.

At the seminar, the participants learned that Daejeon has a favorable environment for startups with its Innopolis, and that the city can build a successful innovation ecosystem in the future. However, the participants also discussed that there might be difficulties since the city does not have human resources and material support system that are found in the metropolitan area. Therefore, there needs to be differentiated routine in Daejeon to build a specialized cluster that can scale up and implement business activities without turbulence.