A legal basis has been 마련ed to systematically manage research data produced through national research and development projects. The move is intended to use research data, a key asset in the artificial intelligence (AI) era, more efficiently.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Wednesday that a bill to enact the Act on the Management of and Promotion of the Use of National Research Data passed the National Assembly's plenary session on May 7.

Until now, research data produced in national R&D projects has been managed at the discretion of each ministry, research institution and researcher, without a separate legal obligation. With disclosure standards and a rights framework unclear, there were limits that made it difficult for researchers to share and use data.

Under the new law, all R&D institutions carrying out national R&D projects will be required to manage national research data. Data produced will in principle be disclosed, but it can be kept non-public for a certain period when there are reasons such as national security, trade secrets and protection of third-party rights.

R&D institutions must also draw up and submit a research data management plan during the course of carrying out national R&D tasks. Data subject to disclosure must be registered with and linked to the National Research Data Integrated Platform or specialised platforms by field. The government can also designate and operate a National Research Data Center and specialised centres by field to support systematic management and use of national research data.

The law also establishes a rights framework for research data. It makes it a principle that R&D institutions succeed to data rights from researchers, while requiring that researchers be indicated as producers of national research data to provide safeguards for protecting researchers' achievements.

The science minister will establish a basic plan for managing and using national research data every 3 years and prepare an annual implementation plan. It will also become possible to conduct fact-finding surveys on the status of research data management and recommend improvements.

The government expects the law to significantly strengthen research productivity in the field and the foundation for AI use. Researchers can reduce duplicate experiments and repetitive surveys by using existing data. It explained that companies can use accumulated research data to develop AI models and advance data-based services.

Bae Kyung-hoon (배경훈), deputy prime minister and minister of science and ICT, said, "Research data is a core research asset in the AI era and a foundation for spreading the results of national R&D investment." He added, "I hope that this legislation will serve as an opportunity for research data to be widely used in academia and industry, while being safely protected."