Analysis of Changes in R&D Projects in Disasters and Safety after Sewolho Disaster: Focusing on Changes in Investment by Disaster Type and Administrative Agency between 2005 and 2019

Abstract

This study aims to examine the status of national research and development (R&D) projects in disaster and safety fields and to empirically analyze how investment in these R&D projects has changed by disaster type and administrative agency after a large disaster, focusing on the Sewolho disaster using data from NTIS. For the past 15 years, the R&D projects have focused on short-term prevention-oriented investments led by specific administrative agencies. In the aftermath of the Sewolho disaster, which destabilized our society, the number and budget of the R&D projects tended to increase sharply. The empirical analysis showed that the number and budget of the projects by disaster type in 2015 increased sharply right after the Sewolho disaster, but had decreased or remained unchanged over time. A similar trend was observed in investment by administrative agency. Therefore, it is important to expand support for R&D projects in the field of disaster and safety and to establish a system to identify and evaluate long-term support trends and systematically reflect them.