Material is enabling technology that creates the product performance and the service of most industrial sectors and fields of technology. However, compared to the other fields such as IT, BT, and NT etc., relatively little attention has been paid to the research on strategy and innovation of materials technology. This bias should have resulted in the misfit of policy and less than enough investment in materials innovation. This paper discusses the characteristics, process, and future of the materials innovation. The process and status of materials technology in Korea are analyzed based on the discussions above. Finally, some suggestions for R＆D strategies of Korea are presented on the basis of the nature, trend and barriers of materials innovation.