• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.247-289
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• 2019

By examining the experiences of three social economy organizations who participated in the social problem-solving R&D projects, we discuss the conditions which may encourage the participation of civil society in national R&D programs in South Korea. By calling for the inclusion of social economy organizations along with the living-lab, the social problem-solving R&D projects introduced a new type of civic participation in the national R&D programs. It is the requirement in the RFP of the social problem-solving R&D which led PIs to inviting social economy organizations into their projects. But the invites occurred rather abruptly and accidently without adequate mutual understanding between scientific experts and social economy organizations. While helping social economy organizations participate in R&D processes, this form of institutional arrangement also led them into a position in subordination to scientific experts. Social economy organizations were supposed to coordinate the living lab in the social problem-solving R&D projects which they felt familiar as an extension of what they have been doing. In contrast, they felt administrative work such as accounts following complicate administrative rules as the most unfamiliar challenge. The difference in their emphases between scientific experts and social economy organizations was also evident. Social economy organizations viewed that, while they and ordinary people are primarily interested in a practical use of the developed products or services, scientific experts tend to focus on research and development. Not only did such difference produce a friction in the R&D processes but also it had social economy organizations view the R&D projects they participated in as unsuccessful. Nevertheless, all these experiences provided a great opportunity for the social economy organizations for learning and growing as a new actor in the national R&D.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.191-227
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• 2015

The supply-driven innovation system is encountering its limitation. At the same time, the needs for solving societal challenges occurring in people's lives are growing. Social problem-solving R&D programs have been attracting attention as a countermeasure to satisfy these needs. It is important to understand the social context of the occurring problems as well as the users facing the social challenges. Therefore, social problem-solving R&D programs have to explore the social challenge and users' needs, with emphasis on the collaboration with researchers and users in the development and implementation process. This study carries out comparative analysis between 'Korean Citizen-driven R&D project' and 'Japanese Research institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX)' concerning goals, construction of program, and promotion processes. The two cases are similar regarding the objectives of social problem-solving and the strategy for user participation. However, there are differences between the characteristics of the projects and promotion processes. The RISTEX is performing social problem-solving R&D with a much wider perspectives than the Korean project. This is because the Korean project maintained the existing R&D system with the lens of the supply-driven system, even when approaching social problem-solving. Therefore, this limitation should be overcome by adopting support systems discarding the supply-driven perspective, through substantiality of user participation, maintenance of legal system, and commercialization of technologies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.85-92
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• 2021

As the paradigm of green has been expended as the core of sustainable development in Korea, agro-healing projects increasingly have been a priority at the national policy and investment area. But little is known about the current overview of national research and development(R&D) related to agro-healing. The aim of this study was generally to investigate the research trends of national R&D related to agro-healing over the past five years. Dataset were gathered from provided by National Science & Technology Information Service(NTIS), word cloud techniques were applied. The main results showed that amounts of number and funding related to agro-healing projects have been increasing. In particular, the Rural Development Administration had the highest number of research, and it was found that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy have spended a lot of money on agro-healing. As a results, it is necessary to expand the scope of the field of agro-healing projects, especially at the multisectoral and intersectoral level for improving health, well-being and a sustainable future.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-27
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• 2019

This study deals with the changes in the government-funded research institutes (GRI) in terms of 'responding to social challenges and turning to the institutes that are pursuing sustainability transition'. The newly established societal problem-solving R&D projects in GRIs are core experiments for the transition. In order to discuss about the prospect of transition of GRIs, this study used focus group interview approach. In the interview, the GRIs's stance on the societal problem-solving R&D projects, and its process, problems and the policy direction had been discussed. It is suggested that the necessity of transition is discussed and transition experiments are proceeding on a small scale, but experiments are still underway in the existing framework. In order to facilitate the transition in GRIs, it is necessary to carry out the experiment and the vision making work from the inside the GRI.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.99-133
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• 2015

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a concept emerging rapidly as a theoretical and methodological framework to shape science for better society, instead of merely for economic growth. While the responsibility of science usually means ethics of researchers in the process of research, RRI extends the concept of the responsibility by claiming that researchers should be responsible for the purpose and outcome of research as well. In addition, RRI proposes four interconnected concepts of anticipation, reflectivity, deliberativeness/inclusiveness, and responsibility as a methodological framework to achieve these tasks. However, RRI is not merely a theoretical concept but has been already practiced at many levels in real world. We discuss how RRI has been practiced and played important roles in reflecting on research and innovation policies in the past and guiding new policies by examining two research projects, STIR and SPICE, and three national R&D programs, EPSRC's embracement of RRI in the Britain, MVI in the Netherlands, and R&D for social problem-solving in Korea.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1089-1121
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• 2017

'Technological convergence' is the recent innovation trend which facilitates to solve social crux as well as to generate new industries. Korean government research institutes (GRIs) have taken a pivotal role for economic growth which capitalized on technology-oriented strategies. Recently, the policy interests on the transition of their role and mission towards multidisciplinary research organization is increasingly shed lights. This study regards the collaborative activities as one of the key success factors in the multidisciplinary research. In this sense, this study sets research purposes as follows: First, we intend to define a concept and to confine a scope of multidisciplinary research from the view point of R&D purposes and problem-solving process. Second, we categorize the collaboration and the relevant performances which reflect the characteristics of the multidisciplinary research. Third, we analyze the characteristics of collaborative activities and the effects of strength on the research performances. To this end, this study conducted a survey of 104 research project directors, which have experienced at least one of two types of multidisciplinary research projects through National R&D project or NST (National Research Council of Science & Technology) convergence research project. Then, we conducted regression analysis by utilizing the survey results in order to verify the relation between the collaborative activities and the performances. As results of analyses, first, the diversification of collaboration partners was a salient factor in the process of knowledge creation. Second, collective works among the researchers in similar area and domain enhanced mission-oriented technology development projects such as patent creation or technology transfer. Third, we verified that the diversity of created knowledge and the degree of relation continuity between researchers increased in the condition of guaranteeing individual researcher's independence and autonomy as well as sharing various technological capabilities. These results provide the future policy directions related to the methods to measure the collaboration and performance analysis for multidisciplinary research.