The Ministry of Science and ICT (Ministry of Science and ICT) is officially moving forward with promoting BCI (brain-computer interface) technology that enables humans and computers to communicate through thought alone.
On the 26th at 2 p.m., the Ministry of Science and ICT held the launch ceremony for the BCI Alliance at Seoul The Plaza Maple Hall.
Once BCI technology is commercialized, it is expected to drive innovation across various fields, including overcoming physical disabilities such as paralysis, brain disorders, and visual impairments; enabling robots that move by thought alone; and delivering cultural content that conveys multiple senses. The government has included BCI in its large-scale investment projects, the seven SEED (Seed) initiatives and K-Shoot, with plans to complete BCI technology validation by 2029, begin clinical trials thereafter, and aim for commercialization of BCI products by 2035.
The BCI Alliance is a public-private consultative body established to create the domestic BCI ecosystem, which is currently in its nascent stage. The alliance includes the Korea BCI Association, primarily composed of institutional investors related to BCI; the Korea BCI Society, mainly formed by BCI researchers; and relevant ministries including the Ministry of Science and ICT. Under a co-chair system jointly led by the government and private sector, the alliance plans to operate three sub-committees focused on research and development, commercialization, and infrastructure building. The inaugural chairs will be Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Keong-hoon and Baek Nam-jong, president of the Korea BCI Association.
During the policy forum held today, Jo Il-ju, PD of K-Shoot BCI, presented the "K-Shoot BCI Program Roadmap." According to the roadmap, the government plans to support the validation and commercialization of BCI products for patients with paralysis and brain disorders through the BrainLink Initiative project team, which will launch next year. Additionally, it intends to build preclinical trial infrastructure specialized for the brain industry and establish a brain map—a database on the structure and function of the brain—to support BCI development.
Following the roadmap presentation, experts from universities, companies, hospitals, and regulatory institutions delivered presentations on BCI infrastructure construction, industrial promotion, clinical application, and licensing support systems.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Keong-hoon stated, "The government will listen to on-the-ground opinions and spare no effort in providing policy and institutional support."
in TECH
