Lee Myeonghwa, STEPI Division Head, Elected Vice Chair of OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy

Will Join the CSTP Bureau in 2027, Taking Part in International Science and Technology Policy Discussions
Contributed to International Norms on Quantum Technologies and Emerging Biotechnologies

Lee Myeonghwa, head of the Global Strategy Division at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) (Photo), has been elected Vice Chair of the OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP). A Korean expert will once again join the bureau that coordinates key science and technology policy agenda items at the OECD.

STEPI announced on October 23 that Lee was elected Vice Chair at the 129th CSTP plenary session, held October 21-23 at OECD headquarters in Paris, France.

Established in 1972, the CSTP is an OECD committee that discusses science, technology and innovation policies and international cooperation among member countries. The bureau is responsible for coordinating the committee's main areas of work and agenda items in advance.

Starting in 2027, Lee will serve alongside a chair from Austria and five vice chairs from the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, Iceland and Türkiye. Following annual reappointments, she may serve through 2031 at the latest. In Korea, Dr. Jang Yong-seok previously served as CSTP chair from 2021 to 2025.

Lee has represented Korea at the CSTP since 2017 and has served as Vice Chair of its Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Convergence Technologies Working Party (BNCT) since 2024. She also contributed to the OECD Recommendation on Quantum Technologies, announced in June this year, and is participating in the development of a recommendation on emerging biotechnologies.

Lee, who specializes in biopolitics, an interdisciplinary field combining biotechnology and political science, joined STEPI in 2012. She has served as head of the National R&D Analysis Division and head of the R&D Strategy Research Division, among other positions, and currently leads the Global Strategy Division.

“I will take the lead in international discussions on standards for rapidly advancing emerging technologies, while also acting as a bridge to ensure that global agendas contribute to the development of domestic science and technology policy,” Lee said.

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