Publicly Funded Research and Innovation in Korea and the Outlook for International Cooperation

This chapter presents the current situation as regards Transport research and innovation in the Republic of Korea (South Korea or simply Korea) with special emphasis on the policies, capacity and general prospects for more international cooperation in this area. It also gives a basic understanding of the overall Research Technological Development and Innovation (RTD&I) system in this country and discusses the obstacles and challenges that Korea faces in maintaining this system as one of the most advanced in the world. It shows the policies and other activities that this country is pursuing in RTD&I in order to strengthen its national competitiveness and to increase its international technological stature in addressing shared global issues and challenges and providing technological assistance to developing countries. In focusing also on the field of Transport the chapter gives particular attention to the so called Land, Infrastructure and Transport RTD&I (LIT/RTD&I) which the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has developed and is pushing forward as a tool to pursue national new growth engines in the field of Transport. Korea’s international cooperation policies in RTD&I are mainly carried out through specific projects which are funded and supervised by various individual governmental agencies. In relation to these policies the chapter also includes a SWOT analysis of the Korean RTD&I prospects for increased future international cooperation and their focus in the field of Transport. Among the measures recommended to strengthen its current capacities and implement further its international cooperation capabilities in the land, infrastructure and transport areas (LIT/RTD&I) are, the rebuilding of the current classification structure applicable to international RTD&I work; development of more systematic investment plans to address specific investment strategies for international collaboration in RTD&I; establishing a system to share information between government organizations and government-funded research institutes active in international RTD&I collaboration in the land, infrastructure and transport areas; and developing specific RTD&I strategies for individual partner countries considering their unique conditions, their level of development and geopolitical location.