The government will provide regular employment positions for some successful contract researchers at state-funded institutes of science and technology beginning as early as next year. 

The Ministry of Science and ICT on Tuesday announced the guidelines on turning irregular workers into regular employees at state-funded research institutes.

Among around six-thousand-500 contract-based researchers working at 25 science and technology-related government-funded think tanks, some will be chosen to benefit from the measures based on their performance.

The guidelines also promise regular employment to nonregular workers who are in charge of safety within labs or handling risky materials such as explosive or toxic substances.

Postdoctoral and other student researchers, however, are not eligible to receive the benefits.  

The ministry said it's a follow-up measure to the government’s initiative to reduce the number of irregular workers in the public sector.