Ministry of Science and ICT Promotes "Brain to Korea" to Attract Outstanding Overseas Science and Technology Talent

The Ministry of Science and ICT is launching the selection of new projects for the "Brain Pool Program for Attracting Outstanding Overseas Scientists" to expand the recruitment of excellent science and technology talent from abroad.

Ministry of Science and ICT logo. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT

On the 12th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it had issued a notice on the plan to select new projects for the "2026 Brain Pool Program for Attracting Outstanding Overseas Scientists" as part of a national policy initiative aimed at building a basic research ecosystem and realizing a nation strong in science and technology talent.

This program is a core initiative of the "Brain to Korea" policy, which aims to attract 2,000 global talents by 2030. In response to global technological competition, the government has allocated a budget of 54.6 billion won for this year, a 40% increase compared to the previous year (approximately 38.8 billion won). Since its introduction in 1994, the program for attracting outstanding overseas scientists has contributed to the internationalization of the research environment and the securing of new growth engines by bringing excellent overseas researchers into domestic research sites.

This year, a new "BP+ Institution-based Recruitment" project has been established to support the strategic recruitment of talent by domestic research institutions. Under this type, industry, academia, and research institutes will be supported in attracting overseas research teams or outstanding researchers so that they can produce research outcomes at a global level. A total of five institutions will be selected, and each institution will receive block funding of about 3 billion won per year for up to five years.

The "BP Individual Recruitment" project, which invites individual researchers in line with the needs of domestic research sites, will also select around 80 projects. The individual recruitment type will provide up to 350 million won per person for up to three years, including personnel expenses, living expenses, and research activity costs for the invited scientists.

The call for new projects begins today. Research institutions and principal investigators wishing to apply can submit applications through the Korea Research Foundation’s Pan-Ministerial Integrated Research Information System (IRIS). The application deadline for the individual recruitment type is April 16, and for the institution-based recruitment type it is April 10.

Koo Hyukchae, First Vice Minister of Science and ICT, said, "By attracting outstanding overseas researchers, we expect domestic researchers to expand collaboration with top global researchers and strengthen their research competitiveness," adding, "We will continue to foster a research environment where domestic and overseas researchers can grow together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.