The South Korean government said Tuesday that it is considering offering rewards to South Koreans who publish papers in internationally recognized scientific journals.
The move aims to raise the morale of scientists and encourage the advancement in science that is vital to the country's future growth, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
If all goes according to plan, the first recipients could be named in the second half of this year.
State rewards and citations may be given to the first authors of papers published in Science, Nature or Cell, which are regarded as the three most prestigious journals in the world, the ministry said.
"Despite the scandal surrounding cloning expert Hwang Woo-suk, there are a growing number of papers published in international journals written by local scientists," said a ministry official.
Recognizing excellence is not new since the government already gives rewards and prizes to athletes, he added.
The total number of journals published in Science, Nature and Cell stood at two in 1995, but reached 29 last year, with the ministry expecting this number to grow even larger in 2006.
The ministry also said it plans to reward technicians working at private companies if they invent new, world-class technologies and products. Seoul, May 23 (Yonhap News)
Seoul mulls rewarding science papers published in top journals |
