Institute for Future Strategy, Seoul National University — Future of Science and Technology Cluster
2nd-Year Report

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the major outcomes from the second-year research of the Future of Science and Technology Cluster at the Institute for Future Strategy (IFS), Seoul National University. While the importance of science and technology is indisputable, it is fair to question whether Korea today truly leads the world in these fields. The advanced countries that Korea once sought to catch up with have long been ahead both economically and technologically. Although Korea now stands shoulder to shoulder with these nations in terms of economic development, it cannot yet be considered a true scientific and technological powerhouse. Korea’s science and technology still largely operate within the paradigms established by other advanced countries.

This report identifies two essential conditions for Korea to become a leading nation in science and technology.
The first is technological sovereignty—the capacity to independently secure the technologies a nation needs without unilateral dependence on others. Yet in an increasingly fragmented global innovation ecosystem, achieving technological sovereignty is difficult. As a strategy to overcome this limitation, the study introduces the concept of Collaborative Technology Sovereignty, defined as “a system in which a nation possesses core technological capabilities while sharing technologies in a collective and complementary manner with other trusted countries.” The report also proposes a quantitative framework to assess the current level of technological sovereignty across nations.

The second condition is the pursuit of Grand Quests—challenging, paradigm-shifting questions. Without posing such bold questions, Korea’s science and technology will remain dependent on existing paradigms, making it impossible to achieve technological sovereignty. A Grand Quest is an unresolved scientific or technological question that lacks an immediate solution and carries a high risk of failure, yet, if solved, could redefine the paradigm of its field. The Grand Quest Project represents Korea’s first step toward moving beyond the past model of technological catch-up. In this effort, experts from ten fields identified the unsolved grand challenges in their respective domains, which are summarized in this report.

Additionally, continuing from the first year, the research team hosted the Future Generation Forum, this time under the theme “Questions from the Next Generation in a World Where Artificial Intelligence Has Become Everyday.” Nineteen undergraduate and graduate students from diverse universities and disciplines participated, presenting original and thought-provoking questions about the implications of AI in future society. The insights and discussions from this forum are also compiled in the report.

Keywords:
Technological sovereignty, collaborative technology sovereignty, Grand Quest, challenging questions, science and technology leadership, technological paradigm, future generation