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Busan Metropolitan City Secures a Research Hub for Next-Generation Quantum Materials Core Technologies

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that the Quantum Phononics Research Center (QPRC) project proposed by Pusan National University has been selected under the 2026 Science Research Center (SRC) Program, a collaborative research support initiative administered by the Ministry of Science and ICT through the National Research Foundation of Korea.

The project is a large-scale collaborative research initiative that will receive a total investment of KRW 12.95 billion over seven years, from July 2026 to June 2033, including KRW 12.6 billion in national funding and KRW 350 million from Busan Metropolitan City.

A consortium of eight leading research institutions, centered on Professor Lee Jae-kwang of Pusan National University, will participate in the project. The consortium includes the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Yonsei University, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and Seoul National University. Together, they will develop core technologies for controlling phonons, the fundamental units of atomic vibrations in solids.

Phononics, an advanced field that studies the generation, propagation, and control of phonons, is expected to provide essential foundational technologies for next-generation quantum devices through this research.

With this latest selection, Busan Metropolitan City has secured another major research base focused on fundamental technologies supporting the localization of quantum devices, complementing its existing industry-oriented research infrastructure in new drug development (2023), port logistics optimization (2024), and battery defect diagnosis for secondary batteries (2025).

As a result, the city has secured a cumulative KRW 33.1 billion in national research funding over the past four years through competitive national research and development programs spanning quantum computing, quantum sensing, quantum materials, components, and equipment.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo stated, "This newly established research hub will enable Busan to build an integrated research foundation spanning basic scientific research to applied quantum technologies. We will further strengthen collaboration among universities and research institutions to advance the localization of quantum material technologies and foster a regional supply chain ecosystem centered on Busan."