The government has selected four university-affiliated research institutes as National Research Labs (NRL 2.0) to lead basic research at what it called world-first and top levels.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Education Ministry announced the results of the 2026 basic research programme selection for National Research Labs and said on June 29 that support will begin on July 1.

The selected labs are Seoul National University's Human-Centered Physical Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robotics Research Institute; Sungkyunkwan University's Sungkyun Intelligent Energy Solution National Research Lab; Changwon National University's SMR² Platform National Research Lab; and Chungnam National University's Theranostics Convergence National Research Lab. The selected labs will receive 10 billion won a year in research funding for up to 10 years.

The National Research Lab programme aims to foster sustainable convergent and large-scale research hubs by using universities' top research talent and infrastructure. It seeks to drive innovation across university research through long-term, comprehensive support and to build world-class institutes.

The programme began last year and the second selection was made this year. This year it was divided into Type 1, open to universities nationwide, and Type 2, open only to regional universities, to expand participation opportunities for regional universities. In 2025, four labs were selected: Korea University's Convergent Degradative Biology National Research Lab, Yonsei University's Bio Centennial Convergence Research Institute, Ewha Womans University's Multiscale Materials and Systems Research Institute, and Pohang University of Science and Technology's Global Healthcare Biomedical Engineering Research Institute. These labs have been operated under the National Research Lab system since September last year.

The selected labs will receive 10 billion won a year in research funding for up to 10 years. This year, 5 billion won will be provided for six months, reflecting that the programme starts in the second half. The scale of support may change depending on future budget conditions. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Education Ministry will finalise the recipients after an objection process following the announcement of the results. They will then sign agreements with the implementing organisations and begin the programme in earnest.

Kim Sung-soo (김성수), director general for R&D Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said the government will continue to support the selected labs so they can grow into world-class institutes with a long-term view and spread as leading models for university research activity in South Korea.

Lee Hae-sook (이해숙), director general for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning Policy at the Education Ministry, said she expects the National Research Labs to dramatically change the university R&D ecosystem and contribute to regional development. She said the ministry will provide full support together with the Ministry of Science and ICT so the labs can produce research outcomes at the world's highest level.