There are technological gaps of 3.8 years in the medical area and 4.3 years in bio industry between Korea and the United States, a state think tank said.

Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP)_{한국과학기술기획평가원}made these and other points in a recent report that evaluates technological levels of the two countries every two years.

The institute based its evaluation on the analyses of research papers and patents as well as the Delphi research. It evaluated Korea’s technology level in the medical field at 77.5 percent assuming the world’s top-class U.S. level was 100 percent, as of 2016.

Korea was also 2.6 years and 2.2 years behind Europe and Japan, respectively, but one year ahead of China in technology gaps, it said.

It also evaluated Korea’s technology level in the bio field was 77.4 percent of the U.S. Korea was 3.1 years and 2.6 years behind Europe and Japan, respectively, but 1.5 years ahead of China, in this field.

The areas in which Korea’s technology levels belong to the world’s leading group, by accounting for 81-99 percent of the top-level countries, were electronic-information-communication (84.2 percent) and machinery- manufacturing-process engineering (81.8 percent).

In the other eight areas, including medical and bio fields, Korea belonged to the chasing group by accounting for 61-80 percent of top-level countries.

More specifically, four technologies among 17 national strategic technologies in the medical field belonged to the leading group and the other 13 technologies were in the chasing group.

Four technologies of 12 national strategic technologies in the bio field belonged to the leading group, and eight technologies were in the chasing group

Technologies that belonged to the leading group that have small gaps with the leading group were medical industry’s “sterility and infertility overcoming technology”(88.6 percent of the U.S. technology with technology gap of 1.2 years), “mobile remote medical treatment technology (86 percent, 1.8 years), and the bio industry’s “stem cell differentiating and cultivating technology” (84 percent, 2.5 years) and medical industry’s “technology to identify the efficacy and mechanism of herbal medicine (84.3 percent of China, 2.9 years).

In detail, Korea was 0.6 years behind Europe and 0.3 years behind Japan in sterility and infertility overcoming technology, while 1. 7 years ahead of China.

The institute also analyzed Korea was 0.9 years and 0.4 years behind Europe and Japan, respectively while 1.6 years ahead of China in mobile remote medical treatment technology. The nation was also 0.9 years and 1.9 years behind Europe and Japan, respectively, and 1.5 years ahead of China in the differentiating and cultivating technologies of stem cell, while 1.1 years, 0.4 years and 1.6 years behind the U.S., Europe, and Japan, respectively, in technology to identify the efficacy and mechanism of the herbal medicine, the institute said.

hwz@docdocdoc.co.kr

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