Starting from September 1, the Ministry of Science and ICT will support a total of 2,176 projects, amounting to 175.5 billion KRW, under the second round of new projects for the 2025 Basic Research Program. These projects include mid-level research (creative research type), excellent young researcher (seed research), pioneering research, and national agenda basic research.
In this second selection of the basic research program, 1,291 projects will be supported through mid-level research (creative research), which focuses on small-scale research across various fields.
Additionally, this new project selection includes seed research, pioneering research, and national agenda basic research, which are new initiatives this year. The seed research program (530 projects, 48.9 billion KRW) supports new faculty members to secure initial research opportunities, thereby fostering their research capabilities. A total of 530 young researchers will benefit from this support, aiding their stable establishment.
Pioneering research (160 projects, 14.9 billion KRW) targets areas less explored by conventional research, supporting conceptual exploration and establishment through initial questioning. It has been newly established to foster a challenging basic research environment. Boldness of research ideas and transformational research potential were key evaluation criteria, with an exception to the “one researcher, one project” principle of basic research, and mid-term reviews being omitted to encourage researcher initiative.
The national agenda basic research (140 projects, 26.5 billion KRW) aims to support strategic basic research based on national and societal demands, aligning with the government’s policies. It adopts a middle-up approach, where the government outlines policy domains such as the 12 strategic technology fields, and researchers propose research plans within that framework.
Moreover, the “Sejong Science Fellowship (Overseas)” program will be launched alongside other projects on September 1. This initiative supports outstanding postdoctoral researchers to grow into key talents in strategic technology fields via international training.
Vice Minister Koo Hyun-chae of the Ministry of Science and ICT emphasized the importance of simultaneously restoring the basic research ecosystem and enhancing the innovation and strategic aspects of basic research. He stated, “We will engage in sufficient communication with field experts to establish the future direction for basic research.”