A seminar on legislation for international industry technology collaboration, hosted by Rep. Han Moo-kyung of the People Power Party (PPP) and organized by Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), took place at the National Assembly Parliamentarians’ Hall on Sept. 6.
Explaining the purpose of the seminar, Rep. Han said, “Korea, a nation shifting from an aid recipient to an aid donator, has seen its national standing rise enough to transfer accumulated technology knowhow to developing countries, but views have been raised that industry ODA and R&D international cooperation project, implemented by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) cannot be carried out in a long-term and strategic perspective since they have no legal basis.”
Oh Dong-hoon, MD with the R&D Strategy and Planning Team at MOTIE, said, “International technology cooperation is significant to secure unmatched technologies using global top research resources as early as possible and ease time and risks related to sole technology development.”
Major countries, such as the United States, Germany, the UK, and Japan have been accelerating efforts to invigorate R&D international cooperation among nations, he said.
Oh said the nation lacks an overall master plan necessary to invigorate international joint R&D, and there is no legal definition of innovation entities, such as foreign companies, universities and research institutions, so strategic and systematic support regime is badly needed.
As for the topic, Prof. Park Moon-soo of Dankook University, a panelist, said, “International technology cooperation regime will have to be upgraded through overhauling of related laws and systems to cope with the realigning of global value chains and rivalry over advanced technologies.”
Park Chan-soo, a senior researcher with Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), confirmed each ministry’s legal basis for R&D international cooperation and suggested requirements related to technology security, such as strengthening of security regulations concerning overseas joint funding tasks.
As for ODA, Lim So-young, a researcher with Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET), explained about industry energy ODA’s comparative advantage, citing the private sector’s easy approach like companies and related organizations’ proactive participation and high expertise, coupled with each country’s industry, commerce and energy ministry’s participation in project exploration and planning.
Lim spoke of a need to expand quality management infrastructure in a budgetary and long-term perspective to implement projects with developing countries with higher political and economic uncertainties and yield achievements.
Prof. Kim Sung-gyu of Korea University said that the portion of the current industry energy ODAs needs to be expanded in consideration of strategic importance of the industry technology sector and the potential of emerging markets.
Jeong Ji-sun, a leading researcher with Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), suggested the overhauling of laws, strategies, systems and organization to raise the quality of MOTIE’s ODA projects on top of their quantitative growth.
Lee Min-woo, Director General for Industrial Technology Convergence Policy at MOTIE, said the government plans to push institution and systematic reform related to the establishment of a master plan and expanding of foreign entity participants to raise the efficiency of international technology cooperation.
Yoon Sung-woo, director in charge of trade collaboration at MOTIE revealed a plan to upgrade industry energy ODA projects with a focus on three sectors — green, technology and supply chains. He spoke of laying a legal foundation of ODAs by amending the act on the spurring of industry technology innovation and inducing of outcomes.
KIAT President Min Byung-joo, who chaired the seminar, said, “The industry energy ODA is a project corresponding to the fullest to an advanced country-type international development cooperation the current government is pursing as one of state agendas, but dearth of its legal foundation has brought about difficulties in the implementation of projects.”
ODA projects are to be implemented in a more refined fashion by making up for incomplete and loose ends.
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