The Ministry of Science and ICT in South Korea has finalized a plan to invest a total of 86.2 billion KRW (approximately 86.2 billion USD) in technology development to combat climate change. This includes developments in hydrogen, carbon capture and utilization (CCU), and AI-based climate forecasting technologies. The detailed budget and strategic direction for this year’s climate and environmental R&D projects are part of the “2025 Comprehensive R&D Implementation Plan,” confirmed earlier this month.
Last year, the Ministry designated and operated a “National Hydrogen Key Research Lab” to secure clean hydrogen production and storage technology. It also established an integrated CCUS legislation and prepared a government-wide climate change response technology development plan.
This year, the focus is on ongoing support for existing R&D projects while also aiming for tangible technological advancements. Efforts include strengthening public-private cooperation for technology commercialization and creating a custom technology development plan through the operation of a demand-oriented corporate consultation body in different sectors.
Furthermore, they plan to establish a systemic foundation linking core technology development to industry growth, using the CCUS integrated law from last year. This includes certifications for CCU technologies and products and establishing a system to verify specialized companies.
To ensure continuous funding, even after project completion, new large-scale R&D projects are planned, aiming to expand the budget for climate change response technology development continuously. This will involve an open, permanent R&D planning platform in collaboration with academic societies, government research institutions, and businesses.
This year’s projects also focus on developing new technologies in carbon-free energy, such as solar and fuel cells, with a budget of 5.7 billion KRW for carbon-free energy technology development. The “Next-generation CCU Technology Advancement” project, related to this, will receive 4.275 billion KRW. Additionally, the “AI-based Future Climate Technology Development Foundational Research” will receive 3.1 billion KRW to predict and minimize climate disasters swiftly and accurately.
Two projects, each with a budget of 4.025 billion KRW, will promote international collaboration in fields such as hydrogen and CCU. Specific details about the new project announcements, including timeline and content, will be provided on the Korea Research Foundation’s website later this month.