South Korea, Japan research agencies deepen policy cooperation

South Korea and Japan's leading research support agencies are strengthening their cooperation on policy and institutional reform.

The National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) held the third NRF-JST Strategic Seminar on Wednesday.

JST is Japan's principal national research and development support agency, responsible for planning and managing R&D projects, promoting industry-academia-research collaboration, and nurturing science and technology talent. The two organizations have maintained an ongoing partnership since signing an MOU in 2014.

The seminar was organized to help both agencies respond to shifting domestic and international R&D environments, deepen mutual understanding, and exchange ideas on improving research support policies and systems.

The NRF presented South Korea's participation in Horizon Europe — the world's largest multilateral research and innovation platform — including the current status of Korean researchers' involvement and the support policies operated through a dedicated unit. The foundation also shared outcomes and operational insights from South Korea's first year as an associate member.

South Korea became the first Asian country to obtain associate membership in Horizon Europe in January 2025. Japan concluded negotiations with the EU on associate membership in December 2025 and is expected to formally sign the agreement later this year.

JST introduced its Moonshot program, which targets high-risk, high-impact research, and shared how the agency is responding institutionally to the growing use of generative AI.

Through the exchange, both agencies deepened their understanding of the common challenges reshaping the research support landscape and traded ideas on improving future research support policies and systems.

NRF President Hong Won-hwa said Japan's Moonshot program carries significant implications for South Korea as it seeks to reform its evaluation system to better support bold and creative research. "We hope to continue exploring ways to cooperate that will bring real benefits to researchers and the research ecosystem in both countries," he added.