AI platform proposed to match retired scientists with companies, regions

Experts have proposed a national support framework to put retired scientists and engineers — and their decades of research and development experience — to work as "national strategic assets," using AI to connect them with companies and regions that need their expertise.

A policy forum on the topic was held Tuesday at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. It was co-hosted by the offices of Assembly members Hwang Jeong-a and Cho Seung-rae and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies, and organized by the Federation of Senior Science and Technology Professionals.

Experts at the forum called for the establishment of a national "lifelong career model" to ensure that the experience and expertise of senior science and technology professionals are not lost the moment they retire.

Park In-seo, head of the policy research center at the Federation of Senior Science and Technology Professionals, identified several shortcomings in current support policies for senior professionals: fragmented implementation structures, a lack of continuity before and after retirement, inadequate demand-based matching, and the absence of clear standards for roles, contracts, compensation and performance management.

To address these gaps, Park proposed building an "AI-based national integrated platform" that would link everything from identifying technology needs at companies and public institutions to matching experts, evaluating their work and managing compensation. He also said a lifelong support system connecting pre-retirement assessment and training with post-retirement activities was essential.

Participants also called for a shift away from the current model, which relies mainly on short-term consulting. The proposal was to move toward multi-year, problem-solving projects in which senior experts take part over an extended period to resolve technical challenges facing companies and local industries.

Four specific pilot projects were proposed for 2027: an AI-based national integrated platform, an open-recruitment career transition and placement program for demand institutions, a Korean-style ILP director model, and regional strategic industry mission teams.

The Korean-style ILP director model envisions senior science and technology professionals participating in a company's R&D and technology commercialization processes — going beyond simple consulting to manage actual problem-solving. The regional strategic industry mission teams similarly focus on applying senior experts' experience directly to resolving technical challenges at local companies and industrial sites.

Han Seon-hwa, an honorary professor at the University of Science and Technology, proposed designating a dedicated agency and building the AI-based national integrated platform. Kim Gyu-dong, head of human resources development at the Korea Institute of Human Resources Development in Science and Technology, said a formal career pathway was needed — one connecting open recruitment through to training, evaluation and active deployment. Hong Seong-gwan, head of technology commercialization at the National Research Council of Science and Technology, presented the Korean-style ILP director model, under which senior experts manage a company's R&D and commercialization challenges through to resolution.

Lee Ga-young, head of the science and technology safety infrastructure team at the Ministry of Science and ICT, outlined plans to build a statistical framework for senior science and technology professionals, designate a specialized agency, and draft implementing regulations under the revised Special Act on Support for Science and Engineering.

"Retirement should not mark the end of a scientist's contributions, but the starting point for putting their experience to work anew as a national strategic asset," Park said.