- Ministry of Science and ICT launches private consulting board

- Links technology development, demonstration and commercialization with regulatory reform

The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy's Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device. [Herald DB]
The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy's Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device. [Herald DB]

The government is drawing up a full-scale industrialization strategy to develop seven advanced technologies — including small modular reactors, nuclear fusion, quantum technology and aerospace — into future growth engines. The plan calls for independent verification by private-sector experts at every stage, from technology development through demonstration and commercialization, to identify concrete support measures including expanded investment and regulatory reform.

The Ministry of Science and ICT held a launch meeting Wednesday for the "Seven SEED Consulting Board" at Space Share in Seoul Station, formally activating a public-private cooperation framework to secure future growth drivers.

The Seven SEED initiative is a national strategic project designed to support seven sectors — SMRs, nuclear fusion, renewable energy, quantum technology, aerospace, advanced biotech and advanced supply chains — from core technology acquisition through demonstration and commercialization.

Related ministries are currently working through sector-specific public-private bodies called "Frontier Boards" to set core missions and implementation strategies. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to run a separate consulting board composed primarily of private-sector experts to independently assess the feasibility and viability of those strategies.

A particular focus will be identifying bottlenecks that arise as research outcomes move toward actual commercialization. The board will examine key issues in each sector, including whether core missions are set appropriately, private-sector participation and investment expansion, technology demonstration, and regulatory reform.

As a first step, the ministry will conduct in-depth preliminary reviews of three sectors: advanced biotech, renewable energy and advanced supply chains. After related ministries submit their implementation strategies on Nov. 20, sector-by-sector review meetings for all seven fields will be held in sequence from Nov. 24 through Dec. 4.

The board will also work to identify the technologies, demonstration infrastructure and investment needs that companies actually require, and surface difficulties encountered during commercialization so they can be reflected in the implementation strategies.

Based on the expert review findings, the government plans to identify new large-scale R&D projects and investment-type R&D initiatives, linking them with policy financing, private investment, and regulatory and institutional reform. The aim is to concentrate policy resources not merely on securing technology but on generating practical results that can be put to use in industry.

Hong Sun-jeong, director general for science and technology policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said the Seven SEED initiative "goes beyond simple technology development — it is a national project to create tangible industrialization outcomes and new markets." Hong added that the ministry would "actively incorporate independent reviews by private-sector experts and feedback from industry, and link the necessary R&D investment and policy support to strengthen the effectiveness of the implementation strategies."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com