South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT unveiled a comprehensive overhaul of its pre-screening system for large-scale research and development projects, following last month's abolition of preliminary feasibility studies for national R&D programs.
The ministry announced on Monday that the National Science and Technology Advisory Council had finalized the "Comprehensive Reform Plan for Large-Scale R&D Pre-Screening System" at its fifth deliberation meeting.
The reform's core element is a dual-track approach that classifies R&D projects by nature: "research-type" projects requiring rapid execution and "construction-type" projects requiring thorough review. The threshold for pre-screening has also been raised from 50 billion won to 100 billion won ($71 million), reflecting inflation.
For research-focused projects where speed determines success, the ministry will conduct "project planning reviews" to assess proposal completeness before budget deliberations. Strategic technology development in AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology, as well as technology commercialization and talent development programs, fall under this category.
The planning review period runs approximately five months, from November of the preceding year through March. Reviews will assess only planning completeness—including clarity of objectives and potential overlap with existing programs—without determining project approval or total budget. Evaluation criteria have been streamlined to four items, including urgency, specificity, and redundancy, reducing administrative burden compared to the previous eight-item feasibility study.
Projects will also be reviewed in clusters by similar technology fields, enabling priority adjustments and more efficient resource allocation across programs.
For construction-type R&D—including large-scale research facilities, research complex development, and space system projects—the ministry is introducing a "full-cycle review system" with phased budget allocation. Given high management difficulty and substantial sunk costs if projects fail, total budgets will not be prematurely fixed. Instead, projects will undergo sequential reviews: project implementation review, design adequacy review, and major plan modification review.
The project implementation review will incorporate demand verification through private-sector consultative bodies such as academic associations, moving away from top-down approaches to reflect field-level priorities. Unlike the comprehensive Analytic Hierarchy Process used in feasibility studies, the new system adopts minimum-threshold criteria for individual items, allowing projects to resume quickly once specific risks are resolved. Total project scale and site selection need not be determined at this stage.
The design adequacy review will then assess technology readiness, detailed construction plans, and site appropriateness to finalize overall project scope and location.
For subsequent plan modifications reflecting changes in prices, exchange rates, or applicable technologies, a major plan modification review will apply. Depending on the reason and timing of changes, review items can be selectively applied—either comprehensive reassessment or unit-cost-focused review—to enhance flexibility.
The previous feasibility study system had been criticized for delaying national strategic technology development, with approval alone taking an average of over two years. Critics also noted that demanding excessive economic justification for inherently uncertain R&D projects placed undue administrative burden on researchers.
Amendments to the National Finance Act and Framework Act on Science and Technology, which abolish feasibility studies and establish a customized investment and management system, passed the National Assembly plenary session on May 29.
"The comprehensive overhaul of the R&D investment review system, following the abolition of feasibility studies after 18 years, represents the most significant achievement in science and technology policy history in terms of accelerating large-scale R&D and improving fiscal investment efficiency," said Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon. "This plan lays the foundation for Korea to leap from a technology follower to a leading nation."