The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has introduced a concept program this year in order to improve R&D efficiency and task applicants’ convenience. The new regime has led to an increased competition rate — more than double — for SME and mid-size superstar participants.
A concept program is a five-page document submitted prior to a full-fledged business proposal, a move designed to lower entry barriers for participation of SMEs and mid-size superstar companies that are inexperienced in government-financed R&D activities and to gather the private sector’s creative ideas.
A receipt and evaluation of concept programs for the first half of this year showed that 1,331 conceptual plans were submitted during the period between January and February to compete in 256 tasks up for grabs, showing a competition rate of 5.2:1, up 21 percent from last year’s competition rate of 4.3:1.
Six hundreds and fifty-six SMEs and mid-size superstar companies, which have never participated in MOTIE-financed R&D activities, account for 49 percent of the total 1,331 concept program applicants, more than double last year’s 263 applicants.
An evaluation of concept program applicants conducted during the period between February and March showed that 665 tasks made the cut, showing a competition rate of 2:1.
Reflecting screening committee members’s views that the one-day evaluation was insufficient, the ministry decided to conduct a two-week written screening prior to the full-fledged face-to-face evaluation of business proposals.
Task applicants are asked to submit additional materials if the document submitted for a prior written screening needs to be supplemented.
The ministry has decided to introduce a debate and evaluation session in which task applicants present their proposal and debate it in order to supplement screening committee members’ expertise. The debate and evaluation session is designed to choose the better applicant by comparing the strong and weak points of how to develop technologies during mutual debates.
An R&D method in which specifics are left to the private sector on R&D items suggested by the government will be applied to mid- and long-term specific R&D tasks.
Each applicant will be given 20 minutes to present his or her tasks and 60 minutes to debate each other before her or his one-on-one Q&A session with screening committee members.
MOTIE plans to focus on choosing the successful applicants with capabilities among those who have made the cut during the face-to-face screening slated for May.
Different screening committee members’ sitting on the same tasks has become the subject of inconsistence and lack of expertise. The ministry has decided to introduce so-called “responsible screening committee members’ system,” in which the same screening committee members continue to participate in all processes ranging from an initial designation to final evaluation. Two screening committee members of each task will be charged with the direction of technology development, while another member will be responsible for marketability, feasibility and advice on commercialization.
Starting this year, the ministry has introduced a so-called research capability index in addition to evaluation categories, including technology, development capability, economic feasibility and commercialization possibility.
Such categories as R&D manpower and a research infra availability plan, particularly patent manpower and commercialization achievements, will be evaluated to choose applicants which have a capability to succeed in commercialization.
“It is a good thing for a rising number of SME and mid-size superstar companies with creative ideas to participate in MOTIE’s state-financed R&D projects thanks to lower entry barriers,” said Director General Cha Dong-hyung, in charge of industry technology policy at MOTIE.
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