Young Researchers Strengthen Their Research Capabilities Through the 2026 Sejong Science Fellowship

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) has selected 230 new projects under the overseas training and return & attraction tracks of the 2026 Sejong Science Fellowship program to support the growth of promising early-career researchers and strengthen Korea's global research competitiveness.

The Sejong Science Fellowship is one of Korea's representative talent development programs, designed to provide stable research environments for postdoctoral researchers and non-tenure-track researchers and to support their growth into independent principal investigators. Since its launch in 2021, the program has played an important role in nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders.

Following the selection of 300 projects under the domestic track earlier this year, MSIT finalized an additional 30 projects under the overseas training track and 200 projects under the newly introduced return & attraction track. Researchers selected for the overseas training track will have opportunities to acquire advanced knowledge and technologies at world-leading research institutions overseas.

The return & attraction track, introduced for the first time in 2026, aims to encourage talented researchers to establish their research careers in Korea. Through this initiative, 107 Korean researchers who earned their doctoral degrees abroad and 93 international researchers from 29 countries will conduct research in Korea, contributing to the country's research ecosystem and global competitiveness.

MSIT stated that it will continue improving research environments and expanding support measures so that outstanding young researchers from Korea and abroad can focus on research and achieve world-class scientific outcomes.

Official Source:
MSIT Press Release