Per Article 21 of the ACT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT, OPERATION AND FOSTERING OF GOVERNMENT-FUNDED RESEARCH INSTITUTES, ETC., the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities, and Social Sciences-under the Prime Minister-is committed to planning research projects, suggesting new directions for research institutes, arranging functions (including establishment, consolidation, and disbandment), assessing research performance and organizational management, assisting cooperative research, and creating a better research culture.
Research planning, and planning for the development directions(Strategy & Planning department)
Purpose
Purpose: To contribute to preemptive policy-making by planning interdisciplinary, convergent policy research , which will lead to realizing the nation's visions and national policy goals. To produce the council’s and affiliate research institutes’ development visions and other related strategies, thereby enhancing the expertise of the council and affiliate research institutes and strengthening their role as supporters for the government's policy-making effort.
Examples
- to long-term policy research projects for future national development
- ad-hoc research projects in response to emerging issues
- development plans for the council and affiliate institutes
- long-term plans for guaranteeing independence of research institutes
Role readjustment and restructuring (Strategic Implementation department)
Purpose
Purpose: To help the council and affiliate research institutes readjust and restructure their roles so that they can establish their own identity and create operational systems (including tasks specified in the Article of Association).
Examples
- Enhancing expertise of research institutes by examining and adjusting their roles
- Reinforcing consistency among research institutes’ articles of association and performance by reviewing the articles of incorporation of research institutes; and establishing a management monitoring system.
Evaluation of research institutes( Evaluation planning department)
Purpose
The evaluation is intended to be forward-looking, whether each research institute is performing their own tasks efficiently and effectively, and to improve research efficiency and produce better quality research outcomes.
Examples
- Evaluation of research outcomes and management performance of research institutes
- evaluation of overseas offices
- improvement in evaluation manual
- investigation in evaluation systems
- supporting for improvement of research institutes
Support for cooperative research projects (Cooperative Research Management)
Purpose
To lead national policy-making process by helping interdisciplinary cooperative research projects while enhancing research productivity and synergies.
Examples
- Planning and discovery of cooperative research projects
- quality control in cooperative projects
- dissemination and monitoring of research outcomes of collaborative projects
Budget inspection and account settlement review (Budget department)
Purpose
To improve the effectiveness of national policy-making as a national policy research institute by deliberating and reviewing projects undertaken by affiliate research institutes.
Examples
- Review of overall projects from project planning and budgeting to spending and final accounts
Dissemination of research outcomes (Media Relations Department)
Purpose
To disseminate the achievements of affiliate research institutes to gauge the response of policy beneficiaries and the contribution to national policy-making process, as well as to promote the council’s activity
Examples
- Publication of Future Policy Focus, a magazine designed to promote the council's activity
- dissemination of research outcomes through the National Knowledge Information System (NKIS)
- other activities to promote the council and other research institutes' contributions