기술주권 확보를 위한 대학 및 공공연구기관의 연구보안 법제 개선방안

The economic growth of a nation plays a significant role in improving the living standards of its citizens. Among the various components that constitute economic security, securing technological sovereignty forms the foundation of a nation’s competitive infrastructure. Securing technological sovereignty is a matter of a nation’s future, meaning that the country ensures its technological self-reliance and independence in operating its affairs. This means that, in specific technological fields, a nation does not rely on trade with foreign countries or corporations but autonomously procures materials, parts, and equipment within its domestic ecosystem, thereby maintaining its economic and industrial structure. Research capabilities, which are the premise of technological majesty, serve as an indicator of a nation’s strength. Research and development (R&D) security refers to all security activities aimed at protecting valuable outcomes generated in the process of R&D from security breaches. In South Korea, Article 21 of the "National Research and Development Innovation Act" stipulates that the heads of central administrative agencies and R&D institutions must establish and implement security measures to prevent the leakage of important information related to national R&D projects. Accordingly, the Ministry of Science and ICT enacted Notice No. 2022-3, titled "Security Measures for National Research and Development Projects," which has been in operation since 2022. However, awareness of this issue, as well as efforts to establish measures and provide education regarding it, is extremely rare in universities and public research institutions. In this paper, the current state of research security in universities and research institutions is examined, and the problems and improvements of South Korea’s National Research and Development Innovation Act are proposed, focusing on the U.S. approach. Additionally, the research security status and trends in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and China are analyzed. In recent times, the importance of international cooperation and joint research has been highlighted, along with the increasing cases of technology leakage and brain drain caused by the departure of key scientists. Existing laws and regulations have been reviewed, including provisions requiring scientists to report external income and foreign activities in advance. During the review process, sensitive issues must be addressed promptly to prevent the leakage of technologies to adversarial countries. In sensitive scientific and technological fields, foreign researchers and international students should be carefully reviewed and managed. When international academic exchanges between scholars are requested, responsibilities such as approval, consultation on joint research contracts, and security program education should be assigned. Furthermore, public research institutions should regularly review the state of research security, and in the case of advanced technologies (such as defense or space technologies), the management programs for retired researchers should be rigorously enforced to ensure proper operation. Finally, amendments and improvements in these areas have been proposed.