KAERI’s New Future Vision Unveiled

At a ceremony for the commencement of the New Year 2018, Dr. Jaejoo Ha, President of KAERI, outlined a future vision setting out KAERI’s new research direction by reflecting on the environmental changes taking place both at home and abroad. The following are the main points spelled out on the first day of the New Year.

Dr. Ha noted that the importance of ensuring safety, the environment, and national security is greater than ever before, in line with the setting up of the energy transition policy by the new government and the emergence of the full-fledged fourth industrial revolution. He stated that nuclear R&D has played a role in supplying technologies required for domestic industries by acquiring advanced technologies in line with an economic growth focused policy pursed by the government. However, fully recognizing the emphasis that the government policy and the public have placed on ensuring public health and safety, KAERI noted that revamping its nuclear R&D system into first mover R&D in preparation for the future is urgently required.

To this end, KAERI is committed to a full-fledged implementation of five research directions based on KAERI’s management vision of being a nuclear research institute brightening the future along with the public’s trust. The setting up of five new research directions derived from the focused technical capability are as follows: “nuclear R&D for solving urgent societal issues,” “nuclear R&D for creating quality jobs,” “nuclear R&D for contributing to the development of national strategic technologies,” “nuclear R&D in preparation for the future societal demands,” and “nuclear R&D for leading basic science and fundamental technologies.”
- Nuclear R&D for solving urgent societal issues includes securing the highest level of nuclear safety to make the public feel that nuclear energy is safe enough, the development of safe management technology of spent fuel, and the development of technology for solving environmental problems to improve public health. 
- As for nuclear R&D for creating quality jobs, KAERI is making a full effort to lead the world market by highlighting its own developed SMART and research reactor, and to develop NPP decommissioning technology for expanding the future growth engine and high value-added radiation fusion and new technologies.  
- Nuclear R&D for contributing to the development of national strategic technologies include the development of a marine nuclear system for opening a “New Silk Road,” a response to North Korea’s nuclear testing, and the development of technology for strengthening national defense to ensure strong national security.
- Nuclear R&D in preparation for the future societal demands includes the development of a nuclear energy system in preparation for the future demands, and technology in preparation for the transition of an energy portfolio.
- For nuclear R&D in leading basic science and fundamental technologies, KAERI will make an effort to maximize its research by utilizing the nuclear infrastructure and put its resources into maintaining cooperation with other entities in the development of advanced materials and industrial materials for identifying new future industries.

KAERI plans to improve the dynamics of nuclear research by streamlining organizational structures fitted with the government policy, strengthening researcher-centered R&D, and establishing an R&D Life cycle Management System. To this end, KAERI will do its best to motivate individual employees  to perform to their maximum potential through a drastic streamlined improvement of a personnel evaluation system, and will try to keep to the basics as a government-supported institute for which a high level of morality is required