The Ministry of Science and ICT building in Sejong Government Complex / Yonhap
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for Science and Creativity announced Wednesday the launch of a new science outreach program designed to bring science into everyday public spaces.
The ministry's "Our Neighborhood Science Room" program aims to address a long-standing gap in public science engagement, as existing science and technology activities have largely been centered on universities and research facilities.
By utilizing community spaces such as neighborhood administrative offices, public libraries and public children's cafes, the initiative seeks to give citizens easy access to science-related experiences close to home.
This year, the program will operate across four regional zones — the Seoul metropolitan area, Jeolla Province and Jeju, the Gangwon and Chungcheong region, and Gyeongsang Province.
One private operator will be selected per region to carry out science and technology cultural activities in collaboration with local community spaces. The program will include lectures, hands-on experiences and community interaction, with content tailored to the needs of local residents.
Private organizations and companies wishing to participate can apply to the Korea Foundation for Science and Creativity from Thursday to May 14. Details and application forms are available on the foundation's website at www.kosac.re.kr.
Once operators are selected, citizen enrollment for the local programs is set to begin in June, with "Our Neighborhood Science Room" sessions to be held at neighborhood offices, libraries and children's cafes on a rolling basis. Officials said they plan to expand the initiative's coverage and scale in subsequent years based on the results of this year's pilot.
"'Our Neighborhood Science Room' is a new effort to extend science into the daily lives of citizens," a ministry official said.
"We will continue to expand science and technology culture policies built around everyday spaces so that all citizens can access science more easily."
Source: Korea Times News
