South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) will hold a '2026 ICT R&D project briefing' on Jan. 15 at COEX in Seoul, the ministry said on Tuesday.

The briefing will provide a detailed explanation of the planning intent and technical requirements for new ICT R&D tasks. It will also provide information needed to apply, helping researchers prepare and submit applications.

The 2026 ICT R&D budget totals 1.68 trillion won, up 328 billion won, or 24.3 percent, from a year earlier. To accelerate national AX, it will focus investment on securing core technologies for AX engines (AI, AI semiconductors and quantum, among others) and advanced infrastructure (next-generation communications and cybersecurity, among others), as well as fostering advanced AI talent. It will also provide focused support for building regional AX innovation hubs such as Physical AI.

Newly supported tasks this year total 476.6 billion won. Of that, projects worth 182.1 billion won will be announced through the MSIT and IITP websites by Feb. 10.

Park Taewan, MSIT director general for information and communication industry policy, said, "We hope the record increase in the ICT R&D budget will serve as a catalyst for advancing into the top 3 in AI, and we will continue to support it so it can lead to technological innovation in industry and research."