Caption: Cover of the Rebuild Guidebook for Highly Experienced Scientists and Technologists
The National Science and Technology Council (NST) and the Korea Institute for Research and Development (KIRD) announced on the 24th that they have published a “Rebuild Guidebook for Highly Experienced Scientists and Technologists” to help highly experienced scientists and technologists reintegrate into society.
According to KIRD, the number of researchers aged 50 and over was 93,234 in 2020, accounting for 16.7% of the total (558,045) and showing an increasing trend each year.
In this regard, utilizing the accumulated knowledge and expertise of highly experienced scientists and technologists is an important issue not only at the individual level but also at the level of the scientific and technological community.
The guidebook is organized into sections such as “Getting to Know Highly Experienced Scientists and Technologists,” “Support Systems and Related Information for Five Career Types,” and “Success Stories of Career Transitions.”
In particular, the guidebook subdivides the career transition directions of highly experienced scientists and technologists into five types: △Research Continuation Type, △Corporate Entry Type, △Entrepreneurial Type, △Science and Technology Popularization Type, and △Research Policy Transition Type, providing guidance on effectively transitioning and utilizing careers for each type.
The section on Research Continuation Type introduces systems and initiatives that contribute to national scientific and technological development through continuous research activities, while the Entrepreneurial Type contains practical information on regulations, related businesses, and education to consider when starting a business.
Through the guidebook, a concrete roadmap for the career transition of highly experienced scientists and technologists is provided, along with practical insights through success stories.
Bae Tae-min, Director of KIRD, said, “Highly experienced scientists and technologists, with their high level of expertise, mainly engage in national-level research and high-value-added businesses, making them highly valuable human resources” and expressed the belief that “the guidebook will support the new challenges of highly experienced scientists and technologists and serve as a useful tool to facilitate career transitions and social reintegration.”