The Ministry of Science and ICT on Jan. 29 held the first 2026 meeting of the Science and Technology and ICT Internationalisation Projects Promotion Committee and reviewed and approved seven agenda items, including the 2026 Science and Technology and ICT Internationalisation Projects implementation plan.

The committee includes experts from universities, government-funded research institutes and specialised research management agencies. It systematically sets the direction for internationalisation projects in science and technology and ICT and pursues field-oriented international cooperation policies.

The meeting reviewed this year’s direction for internationalisation projects, along with Pacific Rim multilateral research cooperation, support for participation in Horizon Europe, and support for research security at research sites. It laid the groundwork for South Korea’s science and technology and ICT international cooperation activities in 2026.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION R&D, RECRUITING TOP OVERSEAS TALENT

The ministry drew up major plans to 추진 science and technology and ICT international cooperation projects in 2026. It will 추진 international cooperation R&D centred on national strategic technologies such as AI, quantum, materials and semiconductors, as well as basic research. New tasks total about 330, worth 46.1 billion won. It will also provide parallel support for joint research among top-tier research and development institutions at home and abroad and for building sustainable cooperation platforms.

It will also actively secure top overseas talent in science and technology and ICT. It will strengthen a full-cycle support system, from support for exchanges between researchers in South Korea and abroad to recruiting overseas researchers and helping recruited personnel settle. The programme to attract top overseas scientists will revamp its institution-recruitment model to invigorate domestic research institutes’ discovery and recruitment of overseas talent, and will 추진 plans for a global one-stop service platform. It will also 추진 programmes to support exchanges of top researchers and to support full-cycle settlement for overseas research personnel.

The ministry will also launch a project to support strengthening research security capabilities. It will also pursue support for participation in Horizon Europe and the launch of a Korea-led multilateral research cooperation programme. It will strengthen demand-based official development assistance joint research and, in parallel, pursue leadership on international agendas through multilateral cooperation such as with international organisations.

PACIFIC RIM RESEARCH COOPERATION, STRONGER SUPPORT FOR HORIZON EUROPE PARTICIPATION

The ministry will 추진 the "Pacific Rim Research Cooperation Initiative" (tentative name), a Korea-led multilateral research cooperation programme. It reflects a judgment that the need for joint research based on advanced science and technology is growing to solve global problems such as climate change and pandemics. It will form a preparatory committee in the first half of this year with government members from each country participating, and will draw inter-country agreement on how to 추진 the programme by the second half. It will also review the programme’s structure and how to run its secretariat through an advisory committee made up of domestic experts.

To establish a research-site-centred research security system, it will newly select 2 university research security centres. Each centre will lead efforts to strengthen research security at universities by sharing research security information, providing consulting and training, and spreading best practices. It will also expand Global Strategic Base Centres (G-KIC). In addition to the existing 7 overseas centres, it will newly designate a South Korea-China Science and Technology Cooperation Centre. It will subdivide the Asia-Pacific region into "Asia and others" and "East Asia" to strengthen region-by-region linkages and collaboration.

South Korea joined Horizon Europe as an associate country through a signing with the European Commission last July. The ministry is supporting expanded participation by domestic researchers centred on the Horizon Multilateral Cooperation Team within the National Research Foundation of Korea. It plans to provide information needed to take part in the programme by holding briefings for domestic researchers, providing consulting and distributing guidelines for research task agreements. It also plans to expand networking opportunities between South Korean and EU researchers.

Hwang Seong-hoon (황성훈), director general for International Cooperation at the ministry, said science and technology and ICT international cooperation is more important than ever as global competition for technological hegemony intensifies. He stressed it is time to diversify cooperation and strengthen foundations such as improvements to laws and systems.