Korea University and KAIST signed a business agreement to strengthen global research competitiveness.

Agreement to cooperate in five fields: medical science (clinical medicine), hydrogen, quantum, advanced biotechnology, and cybersecurity.

□ Korea University (President Dong-One Kim) and KAIST (President Gwang-hyung Lee) signed a business agreement to strengthen global research competitiveness at KAIST main campus on Tuesday, November 7.

□ Under this agreement, the two universities will continue mid- to long-term cooperation to strengthen global research competitiveness and create synergy through the exchange of information and human and material resources in five fields, medical science (clinical medicine), hydrogen, quantum, and advanced bio science, and cybersecurity.

□ A total of 12 key officials attended the agreement ceremony including Korea University President Dong-One Kim, Executive Vice President for Research Hyuck Yoo, Dean of College of Medicine Sung-bom Pyun, KAIST President Gwang-hyung Lee, Vice President for External Affairs Kyun-min Lee, and Dean Ha-il Kim of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

□ This agreement was initiated with a recognition of the problem and the need to form a research network to solve the great challenges facing humanity, such as the climate crisis, polarization, and pandemics, for which no single research institution can provide a solution. The two universities expanded cooperation over research that had been carried out at the individual researcher level, prioritizing five areas that could create the greatest synergy.

□ Korea University President Kim said, “Through this research agreement, KAIST and Korea University will join forces to cooperate in research to contribute to the creation of future food sources for our country and the development of humanity. The five research areas for which agreements were signed today are attracting active investment and there is fierce competition to globally dominate the related fields. This research cooperation between the two universities is significant as it reflects the shared understanding that global challenges cannot be solved through the efforts of one university alone.”

□ KAIST President Lee said, “I think it is very meaningful that Korea University and KAIST share the vision of contributing to the future society of the nation and humanity as a whole. Through this agreement, we hope to conduct new research that can greatly contribute to the mutual growth of the two universities and to the improvement of Korea's global research competitiveness.”

□ The two universities, which have the best research results in science, engineering and medicine, will select five or more professors capable of joint research in each field of cooperation. This agreement is expected to serve as a full-fledged opportunity to carry out large-scale joint research.

□ The two universities discussed representative research cooperation achievements so far. These included the development of a mathematical science model to predict the occurrence of depression and bipolar disorder, single cell whole-genome research, the development of optical imaging medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and the prediction of the side effects of Cancer immunotherapy using artificial intelligence. They decided to hold frequent meetings to continue with closer consultation and exchange in the five areas of cooperation.