There are two sources of research grants available to SNU faculty, government grants and private grants.
Government grants refer to those offered by the 18 government supported/funded institutes, such as the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation, and the Korean Research Foundation. Government grants may also be offered in the form of a contract for government projects, not necessarily from these institutions. For instance, the government may offer grants to open workshops for school teachers. Private research grants refer to those provided by private companies and such. If faculty members receive research grants from such sources, they must report them to the Office of Research¡¯s Division of Industry - Academic Cooperation. The total sum of research grants awarded to SNU faculty from the aforementioned sources amounted to approximately $330,000,000 as of 2006. This translates to about $250,000 per science and engineering faculty member, and $50,000 per member in the arts. (This total does not include SNU Hospital grants, which amount to approximately $ 500,000,000 annually.)

Many people confuse the SNU Industry Foundation with the Division of Industry Cooperation. The Division of Industry Cooperation is primarily responsible for research grant management. However, the SNU Industry Foundation is a patent office, dealing with matters pertaining to patents and technology licenses. The foundation will be merged with the Office of Research as a division after March 2008. For current patents, faculty receive approximately 60~70%, whereas the Foundation takes 30~40%. The ratio of smaller projects dividends vary from 8:2 to 7:3.

The University does not currently provide for the costs of patent application; faculty members are expected to pay such costs themselves out of research grants. However, the University provides a bonus of $5,000 for every patent registered. The University Industry Foundation covers the cost of renewal fees to keep the patent in force. All patents filed by faculty are the property of the SNU Industry Foundation. The division also supports technology transfer, industrial collaborations, and the improvement of research environments.

Brain Korea 21 (BK21)is a human resource development program initiated by Korea's Ministry of Education. The Ministry has targeted what it considers the seven most important fields in science and technology necessary to enhance national competitiveness in the 21st century. These are: information technology; biotechnology; mechanical engineering; chemical engineering; material science; physics; and chemistry. The objective of BK21 is to produce the next generation of world class leaders in these fields by upgrading research infrastructure and graduate-level training in Korea.

At SNU, there are 44 BK project groups and involved departments are currently receiving about $50,000,000 in research grants annually. However, less than 70% of faculty members are participating.

Since the Hwang Woo-Suk scandal, the monitoring of research funds has become increasingly thorough. By 2007 the Seoul National University adopted a new research grant management system in which faculty do not actually receive the money but can only access it through paperwork. The Division of Academic-Industry Cooperation of the Office of Research Affairs will handle all aspects of banking as well; all research grants will be deposited into accounts under the name of the Office. As this new system was benchmarked from that of Samsung Electronics, and is common in the West, faculty from the USA will find it familiar, while for those who experienced the old system, you will surely grow accustomed to this new one over time. Also, audits and investigations will be held without notice, as well as the regular, scheduled annual audits.

A. Newly appointed faculty settlement funds
All newly appointed faculty members (including endowed professors) are provided with initial settlement funds. This system extends to all fields, granting $10,000, and up to $15,000 to fields involving experiments or fieldwork. (As the government disapproves of this practice as well, funds come from the Seoul National University Foundation.)

B. Hiring of Research Personnel
Required research personnel may be recruited from researchers with relevant experience in research institutes and elsewhere. To employ a researcher, you must apply to the division, with the appropriate paperwork, on the 1st or 15th of each month. Contracts are for under 1 year, but renewable. About 1,400 researchers are currently employed by Seoul National University.

C. Research Support
The Research Support Division provides funding for matters such as participating in/hosting seminars, workshops, inviting outside scholars to the University, publishing fees, and international research. Travel costs are covered when participating in international seminars, so do not hesitate to make good use of this. Although there is a limit to the amount of support for travel expenses, this limit has been a little bit raised, and faculty members may travel business class. For example, for meetings in Europe, about $1,800 is provided, and about $1,000 for events in Southeast Asia.

D. Faculty Research Achievement Management
The Division keeps track of faculty members¡¯ research, statistically analyzes the results and compares them with other institutions, and communicates them to the public. It is required for all faculty members to report at the end of each year all published papers, proceedings, publications, and intellectual properties acquired during the year. Those who do not report their ¡®achievements¡¯ will be exempt from receiving Research Achievement Bonuses, and also will not be able to receive any research ¡®incentives¡¯ during the following year from the overheads mentioned above.

E. Recognizing and Managing Outstanding Research Achievements
This system was implemented after the Hwang Woo-Suk scandal, in order to establish a reliable database of research achievements of faculty members; further enhance the reputation of the University as a research-oriented institute, and draw talented students from around the world. When communicating research results to the media, you must go through the Office of Research. Normally research results are accounted for in monthly departmental reports, but when publishing in high profile journals such as Science and Nature, you must report the date and content of the paper to the Office, which will assign a committee of experts who will advise whether or not to release the results to the media. Providing incentives for those who actively participate are also being considered.

F. Operation of the Committee on Bio-Ethics
The Committee on Bio-Ethics was established to guide and provide both scientific, and ethical integrity to research pertaining to humans, and to protect the rights of those participating in experiments. All research related to, or involving human beings must be cleared in advance by the Committee.

G. Operation of the Committee on Research Integrity
The Committee on Research Integrity was assembled to ensure the integrity of research done throughout the University by preventing any improper conduct or practices. Guidelines on research ethics will soon be prepared. Violation of these guidelines will be subject to investigation, and punishment.

H. Managing Sabbatical Leave for Full Faculty
Sabbatical leave is granted to all fully instated faculty members, to provide an opportunity to broaden or deepen their educational interests, to explore new areas, and to maintain the high level of academic excellence necessary to meet the missions of Seoul National University. Leave may be taken for 1 semester every 3 years, or for 1 year every 6 years, after an initial 3 years of consecutive full-time employment. However, only up to one-seventh of the faculty of a department may be on leave at the same time. Faculty members of the Literature/Social Sciences departments will be supported during sabbatical leave up to $20,000 a year, or $10,000 per semester. A similar system has been proposed for the Science and Engineering departments, but adequate funds have yet to be obtained.

I. Unification Study Projects
RResearch projects pertaining to reunification of the Korean peninsula are managed through the Institute for Unification Studies, and supported by the Office. Faculty members of the arts will be supported if they initiate research projects within the University pertaining to such; annual funds for research are $10,000,000, and individual projects may receive up to $40,000 in grants. Dissertation research, various symposiums and seminars on unification are also supported.

J. Korean Studies Projects
The Office of Research supports research on Korea, such as its history, culture, and society, as to promote SNU as the center of Korean Studies. Research projects are managed by the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies. Annual funds for research amount to $10,000,000, and individual projects may receive up to $15,000, and joint projects up to $50,000, in grants.

K. Managing Laboratory Equipment
The Office works to secure equipment and facilities required for research, improve research conditions, and promote the sharing of resources. You can search for useable facilities and equipment on the Office of Research webpage (http://research.snu.ac.kr).