The government is set to substantially overhaul its research security management system to prevent the overseas leakage of national research and development (R&D) results. The core of the change is the creation of a new intermediate tier, the ‘sensitive project,’ positioned between existing security projects and general projects, along with an expansion of institution-level security obligations to universities and government-funded research institutes.
 [코리안투데이] A view of the Ministry of Science and ICT building © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) announced that a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the National R&D Innovation Act passed a Cabinet meeting on the 11th. The amendment, which strengthens the research security framework, is a follow-up measure to the revised National R&D Innovation Act promulgated on February 19, and it fleshes out the details delegated by the statute. The Act and its Enforcement Decree will take effect together on the 20th.
As competition for technological supremacy intensifies, the importance of research security has grown, yet critics have warned that uniformly expanding tightly managed security projects would place a heavy burden on the research field. To strike a balance between risk-proportionate security management and research autonomy, the government therefore created the new intermediate tier of ‘sensitive project.’ Sensitive projects are designated based on a comprehensive assessment of factors such as national security and diplomatic strategic value as well as technological and economic worth, but they do not restrict activities such as international cooperation. However, they must be equipped with additional security procedures to prevent core technological information from leaking abroad.
Institution-level security responsibilities are also being broadened. The obligation to establish security measures, which had previously been imposed only on certain institutions owning security-project research results, will now extend to institutions carrying out security or sensitive projects; government-funded research institutes, specific research institutes, and national and public research laboratories; and universities that receive 30 billion won or more in government research funding per year. These institutions must establish security measures and carry out concrete steps such as designating a security officer, providing security education, and managing the participation of foreign nationals and contacts with foreign parties.
Standards for sanctioning misconduct have also been reorganized. The revised Act clearly defines the disclosure and leakage of security or sensitive project results; failure to comply with orders to implement security measures; and the transfer of ownership of security project results without prior approval as ‘research security misconduct.’ Violations are subject to measures such as restrictions on project participation and the imposition of penalty surcharges.
Alongside the institutional overhaul, on-site support systems are also being expanded. Research security centers, which serve as hubs providing functions such as information sharing for universities and researchers, were launched in April at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Chung-Ang University and are now in operation, and support has also begun to help universities establish dedicated research security organizations and personnel. Earlier, at a ministerial meeting on science and technology in June, the government worked jointly across relevant ministries to draft a plan to establish research security that protects technological sovereignty and promotes international cooperation.
To reduce confusion in the field arising from the legal revisions, the Ministry of Science and ICT will hold briefing sessions for universities, government-funded research institutes, and specialized agencies during August and September, and will continue related education and outreach. It also plans to enact a public notice on the security guidelines for national R&D projects, a common cross-ministerial standard, by October, and to publish a guidebook (manual) covering matters such as tier classification criteria. The ministry is also reviewing incentive support measures so that researchers carrying out security and sensitive projects can concentrate on core technology research.
Hong Sun-jung, Director General of the Performance Evaluation Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, ‘Through this legal revision, we have clarified the standards for research security management and built a security management system that encompasses even potentially important technologies,’ adding, ‘We expect this to raise the level of research security across national R&D projects to the next stage.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
<저작권자 ⓒ 코리안투데이(The Korean Today) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
