The government will simplify related forms and expand autonomy in executing research funding to reduce administrative burdens on national research and development (R&D) researchers. It will also pursue institutional improvements to manage funding for international joint research and secure intellectual property (IP) rights.

Park In-kyu (박인규), head of the Science and Technology Innovation Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, chaired a meeting on Wednesday at the KT Building in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, titled "a meeting on reforming research systems to strengthen focus on research and improve performance".

The meeting was held to share achievements from R&D system reforms pursued so far and to discuss future tasks. It also addressed steps to support and manage international joint research in a systematic way.

The ministry created a new budget category called "research innovation expenses" and shifted the method for using indirect costs to a negative regulation model to raise autonomy in executing research funding. It simplified R&D administrative forms by more than 90 percent to reduce researchers' administrative burdens. It is also 추진ing information linkage between the pan-ministerial Integrated Research Support System (IRIS) and research institutions' own systems.

Participants also discussed institutional improvement steps to manage funding for international joint research and secure IP. The ministry said it will prepare a transparent and flexible funding management system reflecting the characteristics of international joint research and stressed the need for an IP securing strategy that considers national interests.

Park said, "The essence of reforming the R&D system is to create an environment in which researchers can immerse themselves in challenging research." He added, "We will support knowledge assets being accumulated safely by fixing blind spots in systems for managing international joint research funding and securing IP."