NRF Basic Research Laboratory (BRL)

NRF Basic Research Laboratory is the small-group laboratory track under the National Research Foundation of Korea's Basic Research in Science and Engineering directorate. It is part of NRF's group research portfolio and is aimed at university-based labs that can operate as a focused team rather than a loose collaboration. The current call sits under MSIT Notice No. 2025-1005 for the FY2026 first tranche, and the program is published through NRF's Korean-language application system. Awards are roughly 500 million KRW a year for 3 years. The structured rules require a university host, allow research organizations, disallow individual-only applications, and set the team size at 3 to 4 researchers. The two named tracks are Advanced and Pioneer, which keeps the route narrow and competitive; it is meant for small, coherent groups that can show a shared scientific agenda and a clear division of work. The best fit is an established academic group that already behaves like a lab and can turn that internal structure into a credible research plan. Because the route is Korean-only and the call is annual, applicants need to prepare the host institution, the personnel mix, and the project scope together. Commercial entities do not belong in this track, and the program rewards disciplined, investigator-led science rather than broad consortia or speculative scale.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.