An industry-academia-research council aimed at building a domestic Self-Driving Lab ecosystem, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), has been officially launched. Professor Jung Yoo-sung of Seoul National University has been appointed as its chair.

This council serves as a collaborative framework encompassing the entire research lifecycle, including the development, standardization, demonstration, and dissemination of Self-Driving Lab technologies. With the demand for Self-Driving Labs rapidly increasing in advanced fields such as bio and materials, its core objective is to address the limitations of inter-institutional connectivity caused by differing infrastructure and operational standards.

A Self-Driving Lab is a next-generation research platform that integrates lab equipment, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to autonomously and repeatedly conduct experiments without direct human intervention. Capable of running continuous 24-hour experiments and simultaneously exploring various conditions, it can significantly reduce research periods from years to months while greatly enhancing reproducibility and efficiency. Its adoption is rapidly spreading across fields such as materials, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals, with major countries like the United States and European nations actively fostering it as a core national research infrastructure.

The government regards Self-Driving Labs as a core infrastructure for the 'K-Moonshot,' an AI-based national R&D initiative. By realizing a 'hypothesis-experiment-analysis-re-hypothesis' closed-loop system—where hypotheses generated by AI are verified through experiments, and the results are subsequently fed back for AI learning—Self-Driving Labs support the enhancement of AI-driven research productivity and the resolution of national missions.

Although the adoption of Self-Driving Labs has been expanding in South Korea, particularly in advanced fields like biotechnology and materials, a lack of infrastructure and differing equipment, data, and operational standards across institutions have hindered seamless connectivity between individual laboratories.

The newly launched council will identify policy agendas by establishing communication channels such as regular meetings and annual conferences. It will operate as an industry-academia-research-government collaborative platform covering the entire process, from technology development and joint infrastructure utilization to data accumulation, the establishment of standards and interfaces, and demonstration and dissemination.

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Center (NAIS) and the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) will participate as joint secretariats. Over 50 supply and demand companies—including suppliers like Park Systems and HB Solution, and demand-driven firms such as the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and SK Hynix—along with approximately 30 universities and research institutions, are participating. The government plans to continually expand the number of participating institutions in the future.

Key missions of the council include: △ establishing Self-Driving Lab technologies, platforms, and standards; △ building reference Self-Driving Labs and formulating research and operational systems; and △ facilitating demonstration projects for demand-driven companies and promoting private-sector adoption.

The launch ceremony was held on the 11th at the Orche Hall in EL Tower, Seoul. Around 400 individuals attended the event, including First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Gu Hyuk-chae, industry-academia-research experts, and representatives from domestic equipment and AI platform companies. The event featured a joint declaration for the council, presentations on the current status of domestic Self-Driving Lab research, policy proposals, and panel discussions. Additionally, an exhibition booth for related companies and a one-on-one matching consultation program between demand companies, researchers, and equipment manufacturers were operated.

Hwang Geum-sook, Acting President of KBSI, stated, "Based on KBSI's experience in operating and supporting research equipment, we will contribute to establishing a common operational system and standards for Self-Driving Labs and expanding their use in research fields." You Yong-gyun, Director of NAIS, also commented, "We will build a data accumulation and quality management system so that data produced in Self-Driving Labs can be immediately used for AI learning, and develop this into a national-level AI learning asset."

First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Gu Hyuk-chae emphasized, "As a core infrastructure supporting national missions such as the K-Moonshot, Self-Driving Labs will greatly contribute to accelerating scientific discovery and verification. The government, research institutes, universities, and industry will work together toward the common goal of building a domestic Self-Driving Lab ecosystem, and we will actively provide institutional and policy support to ensure this."