It is suffice to say that most of KAIST’s research centers on the practical application of scientific knowledge (in the “applied” sciences) than it does on the discovery (with the “pure” sciences). Indeed, this has been true for Korean science in general since the vigorous industrialization policies of the 1970’s. Yet, there is an organization in Daejeon that is starting to change this. In November 2011, the Institute of Basic Science (IBS) was established with the express purpose of strengthening Korea’s foundations in the pure sciences. Its importance is highlighted by the fact that the Korean government has allotted a budget of nearly 3 billion U.S. dollars to IBS from 2011 to 2017 as a major part of its International Science and Business Belt project. The KAIST Herald went to find out more.

Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Kyung Tack Chung and I am the Secretary General of IBS. I lead the IBS secretariat in allocating financial and material services to almost 50 research centers working as part of the organization. I also coordinate the major administrative centers of IBS: the Office of Policy Planning, the Office of Research Services, and the Office of Administrative Services.

So what is the purpose of IBS?
IBS is fundamentally different from the 26 research institutes already established by the Korean government. While Korea’s past scientific advancements were almost entirely fixated on copying existing technologies, things are changing quickly. Many Korean companies are already applying cutting-edge technologies to their products and emphasizing the importance of new knowledge in the Information Age again and again; therefore this country needs a firm grounding in the pure sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, et cetera, as well as engineering. Although notable advancements have been made by many professors and their research teams in various universities, sustained, long-term concentration on these projects has not been possible due to a lack of personnel working in such areas and general difficulties in funding. The mission of IBS is ultimately to coordinate and adequately support such intellectual efforts, and in the process, revitalize Korean science as a whole.

How is IBS organized?
IBS relies on an individual-centered approach rather than a project-based one. That is, its aim is not the completion of specific initiatives, but the development of the individual scientists’ full potential by enabling them to focus on topics that interest them. This is true for many renowned research organizations around the world, such as the Max-Planck Institute of Germany and the Weismann Institute in Israel. Likewise, a major characteristic of IBS ventures is that they are very large in scale and long-term - the average project period is usually longer than ten years. Also, as part of this individual-based approach, the building blocks of this organization are the research centers, supervised by the directors or principle investigators. These are researchers from Korea and abroad - selected by an evaluation committee of 16 respected scientists – who are given autonomy over their teams. That is to say, they have free rein to pursue their own topics of interest, allocate their budget, choose their own research personnel, and operate their research centers as they please. Uniquely, out of all researchers only 30 percent will be regular workers. We hope this will enable the rapid rotation of personnel and hence help cultivate an entirely new generation of scientists in this country.

Are there any challenges IBS is facing?
Although I am glad to say that things are going relatively smoothly, there are of course a few difficulties. Most significantly, some universities and professors have been concerned that IBS’s field of research may overlap significantly with theirs, and that its activities could endanger funding for their own research. Yet, as I have said before, no equivalent of IBS exists in this country. As this has been a problem initially encountered by all novel scientific institutions (including KAIST when it was first created), we are certain to resolve these misunderstandings soon.

Do you have anything to say to KAIST students?
Particularly when it comes to science, the importance of reversing Korea’s current “brain drain” cannot be overemphasized. Students of natural sciences represent the country’s technological and academic future, and it is a loss for us all to witness a significant number of scholars – after years of study - subsequently abandon their aspirations. Thus, we have taken it on ourselves to provide a stable intellectual groundwork on which these people can flourish and pursue their visions. This is the reason we have termed IBS “a research institute of scientists’ dreams.” For those who are interested in pursuing an academic career, I can confidently state that the future still thrives with opportunity. Please, stay interested and stay engaged.