A group of state-funded science research institutes on Tuesday demanded greater autonomy from the government in management and raising the quota for hiring full-time researchers.

The association of 25 government-affiliated institutes released a set of proposals to contribute to President Park Geun-hye’s policy for a creative economy.

“Bringing forth a creative economy it is vital for expanding creative research, and it is necessary to have autonomy,” said Kang Dae-im, the president of Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, during a news conference at the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.

Kang insisted that the current law on public bodies prohibits them from carrying out independent research.

“There should be a new rule for the research institutes to allow us more independence in research. We’re hoping to submit it to the National Assembly this year,” he said.

The announcement came as the government is laying out a number of plans for creative economy, such as the convergence of IT and science, to boost the country’s industry competency.

They also pledged to offer incentives to encourage researchers to participate in collaborative research.

Other pledges include improving cooperation with industry partners and academics, and enhancing support for small and medium enterprises to create new business opportunities.

Kang added that the group of research institutions had established a task force team with more than 200 experts, and they will produce more detailed plans in June. 


By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)