A legal foundation has been set to pursue efficient regional research and development (R&D) policy. It is expected to provide a basis for region-led R&D development, including setting up Regional Science and Technology Advisory Councils under provincial governors.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said a bill for the Act on Promoting Region-led Science and Technology Innovation was passed at a plenary session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The bill systematically regulates regional R&D policies and projects that had been dispersed. It also provides a legal basis for an autonomous R&D system in which regions foster strategic industries suited to local conditions on their own.

Under the bill, provincial governors are to establish regional science and technology innovation plans every 5 years, and the government is allowed to provide administrative and financial support. It also sets up Regional Science and Technology Advisory Councils under provincial governors and provides a basis to establish or designate dedicated science and technology institutions for each region in consultation with the science minister.

The science minister must designate regional R&D projects among national R&D programmes, taking into account factors including consistency with regional science and technology policy. The minister must also develop specialised evaluation methods and carry out evaluations accordingly. Provincial governors can plan and 추진 regional in-house R&D projects and ultra-wide-area R&D projects. In particular, it actively supports a shift to a multipolar system by allowing adjacent provincial governors to cooperate and propose ultra-wide-area R&D projects.

The bill provides a basis to foster regional public research institutes, designate regional hub research institutes and support regional universities and regional corporate research centres. It also pursues policies to revitalise regional science and technology clusters such as R&D special zones and to promote linkage and cooperation among clusters.

Provincial governors may announce targets for investing a certain proportion of their budgets in regional science and technology R&D. The government is to provide administrative and financial support to provinces that meet the targets or to local governments with strong performance in 추진 of regional in-house R&D projects.

The bill will take effect from Jan. 1 next year after approval by the State Council and promulgation. The government plans to pursue follow-up measures, including enacting subordinate regulations such as an enforcement decree.

Bae Kyung-hoon (배경훈), deputy prime minister and minister of science and ICT, stressed that the legislation would form a basis for local governments to set directions for R&D investment with autonomy. It also marks a major milestone toward completing an innovation ecosystem centred on five poles and three special zones through a region-led autonomous R&D system, he said.