‘PBS 폐지’현황 및 과제 정책 토론회

Summary

Key Points

• The Project-Based System (PBS), introduced in 1990 to enhance research efficiency, is being phased out by the Lee Jae-myung administration due to criticisms that it fostered short-term projects and stifled researcher autonomy and creativity. 6:50
• Despite the abolition, significant concerns persist among researchers regarding the stability of labor costs, the substantial expansion of institution-specific operational funding, potential new forms of control under strengthened accountability, and the risk of losing excellent research talent due to inadequate working conditions and compensation. 7:27
• The successful implementation of the PBS abolition requires continuous communication between policy authorities and the research field, along with flexible system design that accounts for the diverse characteristics and missions of individual institutions. 8:11
• The core objective of the PBS abolition is to transform government-funded research institutes into national flagship organizations focused on strategic, mid-to-long-term, mission-oriented R&D, with clearly redefined roles for each institution. 34:09
• A crucial aspect of the transition involves restructuring the financial system to ensure stable research funding, converting indirect costs from strategic projects into institutional research grants and operating expenses, and reorganizing major projects into mission-oriented programs. 39:33
• Reforming the compensation system is vital, shifting from project-level input to rewarding excellent performance and mission contribution, while addressing the perceived decline in researcher pay and ensuring total compensation is maintained. 41:20
• While unnecessary small-scale commissioned projects are being limited, there is a recognized need to allow appropriate levels of commissioned research to maintain agility, foster collaboration, and address immediate national and industrial demands. 80:54
• The new evaluation framework must move beyond short-term, quantitative metrics to assess core research outcomes, long-term impact, and the ambition of challenging objectives, while also streamlining administrative processes to suit research institutions' unique characteristics. 86:32
• Speakers emphasized the critical need to improve the overall treatment and social status of researchers, including addressing issues like the salary peak system and recognizing graduate students as workers, to attract and retain top talent in the science and technology sector. 106:22