K-Moonshot to Accelerate AI Drug Development 10-Fold, Seeks PDs to Lead 12 Missions

The Ministry of Science and ICT is publicly recruiting project directors (PDs) to lead 12 national missions, including the K-Moonshot Project, which aims to increase the speed of drug development by more than tenfold using artificial intelligence (AI).

On the 16th, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) announced that they had issued a call for applications for mission-specific project directors (PDs) for the K-Moonshot Project, which brings together capabilities from industry, academia and research institutes to address national challenges. Applications will be accepted through the 30th.

The K-Moonshot Project is a next-generation initiative that aims to address 12 national missions across eight fields by 2035 through the convergence of science and technology with AI. The government plans to double research productivity by 2030 through the project.

In the biopharmaceutical field, the project includes the “Drug Development × AI” mission, which aims to “increase the speed of drug development by more than tenfold through AI integration.” It will also pursue the “Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) × AI” mission, which aims to “commercialize brain implants to enhance human physical and cognitive abilities.”

The other selected missions cover solar cells, nuclear fusion, small modular reactor (SMR) vessels, humanoid robots, space, materials, AI scientists, semiconductors and quantum technology, for a total of 12 missions. This recruitment will select PDs for 11 of them.

The selected PDs, as the overall leaders of their missions, will have the authority to oversee and manage the entire process, from project planning through the use of outcomes, including technology commercialization. They will also be appointed as “national special appointment research fellows,” enabling them to invite leading experts in each field.

Oh Dae-hyun, director general of Future Strategic Technology Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “Each mission is an important project responsible for the future of South Korea. We hope that leading experts with extensive experience across industry, academia and research institutes who can lead the missions to completion will show strong interest.”

Details, including eligibility requirements and application forms, are available on the National Research Council of Science and Technology website.