Research funding in Korea

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of visiting former colleagues and collaborators in Korea. This was my first time delivering in-person seminars since covid and I had forgotten how invigorating and inspiring it is to present and discuss physics face-to-face.

One issue that I learned about during my trip was the lack of stability in science funding in Korea - research grants are typically reviewed (and funding levels adjusted) every year, and changes in government lead to dramatic shifts in funding priorities.

The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) was established in 2011 with the aim of providing a stable environment for carrying out long-term fundamental research.

After an initial 8-year grace period to give directors enough time to set up their centres, their performance is reviewed to determine whether funding should continue (see this 2020 perspective article for further background).

However, passing this review does give centres stability to continue to pursue their ambitious research goals. Subsequent performance reviews are planned every 3 years, with the potential for significant cuts in funding or even the entire centre shutting down.

A related issue is the puzzling combination of the centralisation of leadership while reducing the autonomy of the centre directors.

Presently tenure is limited to centre directors; if a director resigns, retires, or is hit by a bus the whole centre is shut down unless a suitable external replacement can be recruited. Meanwhile, team leaders on (on paper) tenure-track positions are not given the stability of tenure and the opportunity potentially replace directors reaching mandatory retirement age. Lasting institutions require strong base of staff at all different levels and clear avenues for career progression.

Despite directors being so essential to the continued operation of the research centres, government policy dictates that the hiring of research staff be delegated to an external committee. Moreover, candidates identities should be hidden from this committee, although publication lists can still be included in the "blinded" CVs! I understand this puzzling policy is not limited to IBS, but also applies to other government-funded research institutes.

It is remarkable that despite all these pressures and constraints researchers at IBS are still able to carry out world-class research!