Technology Diffusion Policies of Korea : Current Situation and Policy Directions

우리나라 기술확산정책의 현황과 전개방안

Technology diffusion policy can be defined as the role of government in linking knowledge production with usage. It has an importance due to the fact that linking knowledge between the producing agent and using agent does not automatically occur. If knowledge produced by an R&D agent is not used by somebody else, the knowledge may deteriorate to a social loss since knowledge production consumes a considerable degree of social resources. Explicit technology diffusion policies are not found in Korea. There we, however, a number of implicit policies to promote technology diffusion, mainly by promoting cooperation among universities, industries and research institutes. Government R&D programs have provided incentives for cooperative research projects, and many government sponsored institutes have been assigned the role of technology assistance for small and medium sized firms. Nevertheless, diffusion policies remain weak in comparison to other innovation and technology policies. This is reflected in the relatively small scale of government support for technology diffusion programs. In addition, there is no systematic approach between the different ministries for enhancing diffusion across technologies, institutions, sectors and regions. A comprehensive evaluation of government diffusion programs, which is necessary for improving policy and program design, is lacking. Enhancing the diffusion of technology in Korea will require the strengthening of policies at different levels, including; 1) increasing the orientation of science and technology policies towards diffusion; 2) increasing the scale of existing diffusion programs; 3) developing new diffusion programs, in particular sector-specific or manpower training programs; 4) developing policies to encourage a culture of cooperation that can facilitate technology diffusion; and 5) carrying out substantial policy research to develop diffusion policies.