image: Dr. Il-Yong Kim(the president of AKCSE;on the left side of the photo) awards Dr. Jong-Uk Kim(the Executive Director of the Strategy & Policy Division of KERI;on the right side of the photo) in recognition for KERI’s contributions to pioneering international collaboration between Korea and Canada. view more
Credit: Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute
The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI, Acting President Dr. Nam Kyun KIM), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT’s National Research Council of Science and Technology, was named as the winner of the inaugural Collaboration Award by the Association of Korean Canadian Scientists and Engineers (AKCSE) in recognition for its contributions to the development of science and technology and the advancement of innovation in Korea and Canada through pioneering international collaboration.
When the AKCSE considered the candidates for the award, they recognized the KERI’s years-long track records in collaborative research between Korea and Canada and contributions to regional development (Busan and Changwon) with its scientific and technical research and development activities, hence they named the KERI as the sole winner of the inaugural award. The award was presented at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Canada-Korea Conference on Science and Technology held in Ontario, Canada, from July 4 to 8.
The AKCSE is a network of more than 3,000 Korean scientists and engineers specializing in electrics, electronics, software, robots, semiconductors, nano science, geotechnology, biomedicine, environment, and many others. The KERI and the AKCSE signed a memorandum of understanding for mutual cooperation in November 2019, based on which they have played their roles in the scientific and technical exchange between Korea and Canada.
In particular, the KERI worked with members of the AKCSE who teach at the University of Waterloo to provide support to businesses in Busan and Changwon using big data-based artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, helping them improve efficiency, work environments, product quality, and productivity. Notably, they put forth strong efforts to maintain networking amidst the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic by establishing the AI Center and AI Hub infrastructure in Korea and Canada, respectively.
Mr. Michael Danagher, former Canadian Ambassador in Seoul, visited the KERI last year and spoke highly of the successful encounter between AI and manufacturing.
As the situations surrounding COVID-19 started easing this year, a delegation from the AKCSE and a research team from the University of Waterloo visited industrial sites in Korea. Last month, the president and the vice-president of the AKCSE visited companies in Changwon to listen to their technological pain points. The scope of the standing cooperation between the KERI and the AKCSE ranges from workforce and intelligence exchange to facilitate scientific and technical collaboration between the two countries to joint research support.
“The collaboration between Korea and Canada does not only exist on paper. We are working together to truly benefit businesses with science and technology that work,” said Dr. Jong-Uk Kim, the Executive Director of the Strategy & Policy Division at the KERI. “Collaboration with the AKCSE will be a best practice case that will contribute to the national pride and stir up a science Hallyu in Canada.”
The KERI appointed Professor Soo Jeon at the University of Waterloo as a KERI ambassador to succeed his colleague Professor Hyock Ju Kown who took the KERI ambassador role last year. Professor Jeon will represent the AKCSE in identifying and pursuing international collaboration projects and joint research initiatives for the KERI and serve as a source of information. <KERI>