NEWS&ANALYSIS ASIA
302
18 OCTOBER 2013
VOL 342
SCIENCE
Published by AAAS
www.sciencemag.org
CREDIT: R. STONE/SCIENCE
DAEJEON, SOUTH KOREA—As a leader of research centers, each organized around a heavily on young scientists, pinching midSouth Korea’s premier dark matter experi- world-class scientist’s area of expertise. So career scientists. “Competition [for grants] ment, Kim Sun Kee enjoyed the hunt for far, 19 center directors have been appointed, has become fiercer,” Choi says. As success an elusive quarry. So 2 years ago, when the including five non-Koreans; IBS is hoping to rates fell, critics lashed out at IBS—unfairly, nascent Institute for Basic Science (IBS) was lure many more from abroad over the next few Oh insists: “I’ve made it clear we will not looking for a director to oversee the design years. Each director in turn recruits several touch the NRF budget.” and construction of a heavy-ion accelera- group leaders: rising stars who aren’t afraid Oh’s charm offensive has won some contor, the physicist hesitated to apply. But the of virgin territory. In Korea, “everybody is verts. One vocal critic, plant geneticist Lee idea of bringing South Korea’s biggest-ever accustomed to safe projects. Scientists aren’t Ilha of Seoul National University, says he basic research facility into being was irresist- taking risks,” Oh says. “Changing that culture “opposed IBS strongly” at first because he ible. When Kim’s team fires up the RAON can only be done in a new institution.” assumed it would drain funding from NRF. Rare Isotope Accelerator around 2020 in this The sole megacenter at IBS is Kim’s After speaking with Oh, Lee was reassured science city south of Seoul, the $1 billion 90-strong accelerator team. The other centers that’s not the case—and has even warmed to machine will probe how heavy elements are are labs that will be housed at four planned IBS. “Korea has never tried such an approach created in supernovas, join the race to dis- IBS complexes around the country, includ- before,” Lee says. “It’s a new adventure.” Othcover stable superheavy nuclei—and ers are unswayed. “There’s a lack symbolize Korea’s new push into of transparency,” says bioinorganic basic research. chemist Joan Valentine, a visiting South Korea spent $45 billion on professor at Ewha Womans UniverR&D in 2011, ranking it sixth in the sity in Seoul who confronted Oh at world. Only about $8 billion of that the town hall meeting. Many critics public and private spending went to are afraid to speak out, she says. basic research. “Until now, Korea A lingering concern for many is heavily invested in short-term, that the group leaders may be too result-focused applied research,” young and untested to make good says science minister Choi Munuse of their hefty budgets: as much Kee. IBS, a government-run entity as $1.3 million a year. “That’s too that was inaugurated last year and much money,” Lee says. Oh says that is slated to receive $3.3 billion over IBS will make the review process for its first 6 years, is meant to shift hiring group leaders stricter, withthat focus. But where some basic Heavy responsibility. Kim Sun Kee hopes to have the $1 billion RAON out, he hopes, favoring candidates researchers see a boon, others see Rare Isotope Accelerator, IBS’s big science facility, fully operational by 2020. with a more conservative bent. “It’s a boondoggle. Critics have blasted a delicate balance,” he says. IBS as a “monster” and a “black Many scientists believe IBS’s Korea by the Numbers (2011 ˇgures) hole” that will suck resources from lasting legacy will derive from back$45 billion National R&D spending (6th in world) existing grant programs, particularly ing projects that South Korea might at the National Research Foundation otherwise miss out on. One example 4.03% R&D investment to GDP ratio (2nd in world) of Korea (NRF). “Whenever there is IBS’s Center for Synaptic Brain 44,718 Number of papers published in science citation is a big change, you’re bound to Dysfunctions, which will scour index journals (12th in world) have resistance,” says IBS President mouse brains for defects in synapOh Se-Jung, a physicist who, in a tic proteins and neural circuits assotown hall–style meeting in Seoul last month, ing a headquarters to be built on the site of ciated with behaviors that correlate to dissought to reassure the scientific community the 1993 Daejeon Expo, and through extra- eases such as autism spectrum disorders in that IBS is a force for good. mural programs at Seoul National University humans and then decipher mechanisms. The Politicians also believe that IBS is vital and Sungkyunkwan University in Suwon. pricey project, requiring many mouse lines to Korea’s economy. In recent decades, IBS initially announced that it would allot and imaging facilities, “would be impossible the nation’s growth strategy has been to each center a whopping $10 million a year to do here without IBS support,” says center adopt and build on foreign innovations. for 10 years. It has since acknowledged that director Kim Eunjoon, a neuroscientist here But growth has slowed, and “the follower a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t tenable and at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science model is no longer viable,” Choi says. South now will dole out funds—from $3.7 million and Technology. The hope is that IBS will Korean President Park Geun-hye, an elec- to $12.1 million a year—according to each inspire the Korean scientific community as a trical engineer by training, has called for a center’s research plan. whole to think out of the box while building “creative economy” based on homegrown Lavish support for a chosen few has inevi- a “creative economy.” “If we can change the innovations—“a paradigm shift to a first- tably drawn intense scrutiny. NRF’s funding research culture,” says deputy science minismover model,” Choi says, in which prosper- tripled to nearly $1 billion a year between ter Yang Sung-Kwang, “we can make a great ity “will depend on imagination and ideas.” 2008 and 2012, but has flattened since then. leap forward.” IBS’s basic blueprint envisions 50 or so Recent grant competitions have focused –RICHARD STONE
Downloaded from www.sciencemag.org on May 24, 2015
South Korea’s Charge Into Basic Research Meets Resistance
302
18 OCTOBER 2013
VOL 342
SCIENCE
Published by AAAS
www.sciencemag.org
CREDIT: R. STONE/SCIENCE
DAEJEON, SOUTH KOREA—As a leader of research centers, each organized around a heavily on young scientists, pinching midSouth Korea’s premier dark matter experi- world-class scientist’s area of expertise. So career scientists. “Competition [for grants] ment, Kim Sun Kee enjoyed the hunt for far, 19 center directors have been appointed, has become fiercer,” Choi says. As success an elusive quarry. So 2 years ago, when the including five non-Koreans; IBS is hoping to rates fell, critics lashed out at IBS—unfairly, nascent Institute for Basic Science (IBS) was lure many more from abroad over the next few Oh insists: “I’ve made it clear we will not looking for a director to oversee the design years. Each director in turn recruits several touch the NRF budget.” and construction of a heavy-ion accelera- group leaders: rising stars who aren’t afraid Oh’s charm offensive has won some contor, the physicist hesitated to apply. But the of virgin territory. In Korea, “everybody is verts. One vocal critic, plant geneticist Lee idea of bringing South Korea’s biggest-ever accustomed to safe projects. Scientists aren’t Ilha of Seoul National University, says he basic research facility into being was irresist- taking risks,” Oh says. “Changing that culture “opposed IBS strongly” at first because he ible. When Kim’s team fires up the RAON can only be done in a new institution.” assumed it would drain funding from NRF. Rare Isotope Accelerator around 2020 in this The sole megacenter at IBS is Kim’s After speaking with Oh, Lee was reassured science city south of Seoul, the $1 billion 90-strong accelerator team. The other centers that’s not the case—and has even warmed to machine will probe how heavy elements are are labs that will be housed at four planned IBS. “Korea has never tried such an approach created in supernovas, join the race to dis- IBS complexes around the country, includ- before,” Lee says. “It’s a new adventure.” Othcover stable superheavy nuclei—and ers are unswayed. “There’s a lack symbolize Korea’s new push into of transparency,” says bioinorganic basic research. chemist Joan Valentine, a visiting South Korea spent $45 billion on professor at Ewha Womans UniverR&D in 2011, ranking it sixth in the sity in Seoul who confronted Oh at world. Only about $8 billion of that the town hall meeting. Many critics public and private spending went to are afraid to speak out, she says. basic research. “Until now, Korea A lingering concern for many is heavily invested in short-term, that the group leaders may be too result-focused applied research,” young and untested to make good says science minister Choi Munuse of their hefty budgets: as much Kee. IBS, a government-run entity as $1.3 million a year. “That’s too that was inaugurated last year and much money,” Lee says. Oh says that is slated to receive $3.3 billion over IBS will make the review process for its first 6 years, is meant to shift hiring group leaders stricter, withthat focus. But where some basic Heavy responsibility. Kim Sun Kee hopes to have the $1 billion RAON out, he hopes, favoring candidates researchers see a boon, others see Rare Isotope Accelerator, IBS’s big science facility, fully operational by 2020. with a more conservative bent. “It’s a boondoggle. Critics have blasted a delicate balance,” he says. IBS as a “monster” and a “black Many scientists believe IBS’s Korea by the Numbers (2011 ˇgures) hole” that will suck resources from lasting legacy will derive from back$45 billion National R&D spending (6th in world) existing grant programs, particularly ing projects that South Korea might at the National Research Foundation otherwise miss out on. One example 4.03% R&D investment to GDP ratio (2nd in world) of Korea (NRF). “Whenever there is IBS’s Center for Synaptic Brain 44,718 Number of papers published in science citation is a big change, you’re bound to Dysfunctions, which will scour index journals (12th in world) have resistance,” says IBS President mouse brains for defects in synapOh Se-Jung, a physicist who, in a tic proteins and neural circuits assotown hall–style meeting in Seoul last month, ing a headquarters to be built on the site of ciated with behaviors that correlate to dissought to reassure the scientific community the 1993 Daejeon Expo, and through extra- eases such as autism spectrum disorders in that IBS is a force for good. mural programs at Seoul National University humans and then decipher mechanisms. The Politicians also believe that IBS is vital and Sungkyunkwan University in Suwon. pricey project, requiring many mouse lines to Korea’s economy. In recent decades, IBS initially announced that it would allot and imaging facilities, “would be impossible the nation’s growth strategy has been to each center a whopping $10 million a year to do here without IBS support,” says center adopt and build on foreign innovations. for 10 years. It has since acknowledged that director Kim Eunjoon, a neuroscientist here But growth has slowed, and “the follower a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t tenable and at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science model is no longer viable,” Choi says. South now will dole out funds—from $3.7 million and Technology. The hope is that IBS will Korean President Park Geun-hye, an elec- to $12.1 million a year—according to each inspire the Korean scientific community as a trical engineer by training, has called for a center’s research plan. whole to think out of the box while building “creative economy” based on homegrown Lavish support for a chosen few has inevi- a “creative economy.” “If we can change the innovations—“a paradigm shift to a first- tably drawn intense scrutiny. NRF’s funding research culture,” says deputy science minismover model,” Choi says, in which prosper- tripled to nearly $1 billion a year between ter Yang Sung-Kwang, “we can make a great ity “will depend on imagination and ideas.” 2008 and 2012, but has flattened since then. leap forward.” IBS’s basic blueprint envisions 50 or so Recent grant competitions have focused –RICHARD STONE
Downloaded from www.sciencemag.org on May 24, 2015
South Korea’s Charge Into Basic Research Meets Resistance
