The number of close relatives, including spouses, taking part in government-funded science and technology research projects has surged more than 40% in a year. The government introduced a pre-approval requirement for the participation of such relatives to strengthen research ethics, but roughly nine of every 10 applications have been cleared, raising doubts about how effective the screening is. In some projects, spouses were allocated more than 76 million won ($55,000) in wages and research allowances, prompting calls for tighter scrutiny of whether their involvement is warranted and for stronger follow-up oversight.
Data submitted by the National Research Foundation of Korea to Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Kim Sun-min, released on the 16th, showed that the number of closely related participants in science and technology research projects managed by the foundation rose to 139 this year from 99 last year, a gain of 40.4%. The category covers spouses, direct ascendants and descendants, and relatives within the fourth degree of kinship.
Spouses accounted for the largest share. Their numbers climbed to 117 this year from 82 last year, up 42.7%, making up 84.2% of all closely related participants this year. Over the same period, direct ascendants and descendants rose to six from four, and relatives within the fourth degree of kinship to 16 from 13.
Even as participation grew, the pre-approval rate exceeded 88% for a second straight year. Of 201 applications filed over the past two years, 178 were approved, an approval rate of 88.6%. Last year, 80 of 90 applications were cleared, or 88.9%, and this year 98 of 111, or 88.3% — close to nine in every 10.
The government has required pre-approval since last year to prevent conflicts of interest and improper spending of research funds when family members of principal investigators join projects. To add a closely related person to a new research project, the research institution must conduct its own review and obtain prior approval from the National Research Foundation of Korea. In September this year, the criteria and procedures for applications and approvals were spelled out in more detail.
Still, with participation rising sharply and approval rates approaching 90% even after the system took effect, critics say the screening stage needs to be examined to determine whether it performs any real verification. Family ties alone do not make participation improper, they say, but the necessity of the person's involvement and their expertise should be adequately vetted.
The wages and research allowances paid to these relatives are also substantial. In research projects under way this year, 11 closely related participants were recorded as receiving 30 million won or more in combined wages and allowances, and all 11 were spouses.
In a biosensor research project, a participating spouse was set to receive 20.35 million won in wages and 56.02 million won in research allowances, for a total of 76.37 million won. In an anti-aging research project, a spouse was to receive 53.049 million won in wages and 6 million won in allowances, totaling 59.049 million won. By contrast, 29 closely related participants took part in research without receiving any wages or allowances.
As a result, there are growing calls to verify after the fact not only whether approval was granted but also whether the person actually took part and whether the wages were appropriate. That means checking whether the relative was assigned a role needed to carry out the project, whether the work was actually performed, and whether the wages and allowances paid match the work described.
According to the foundation's data, there has not been a single case of a sanction imposed for breaching agreement obligations involving a closely related participant. That raises the question, critics say, of whether no violations occurred or whether none were caught during follow-up inspections.
"The mere fact that a family member or spouse took part in research should not be taken as proof that the participation was improper," Kim said. "But if a pre-approval system was set up precisely to manage such participation strictly and the approval rate has come close to 90% for two years running, we need to look again at whether any substantive verification is taking place in the approval process."
"What matters is confirming whether the relative actually took part in the research, whether they played a role needed to carry out the project, and whether wages were paid even though they did not participate," Kim added. "The National Research Foundation of Korea should not stop at checking application forms and approval decisions. It must strengthen management and oversight, including follow-up inspections of actual participation and the appropriateness of the wages paid."
