Korean scientific cooperation network with the European Research Area

KORANET (Korean scientific cooperation network with the European Research Area) aims at intensifying and strengthening S&T cooperation between Korea and Europe. The project is funded under the 7th EU Research Framework Programme and runs from January 2009 until December 2012. Eleven partners from nine European countries and Korea form the KORANET consortium. The five work packages include analytical and foresight exercises, the development of a joint funding programme for European-Korean research activities and the organisation of conferences and workshops.

---

KORANET Joint Call on Green Technologies is open for proposal submission until 6 April 2012!

Based on the positive experience gained through the Pilot Joint Call, KORANET launched its second Joint Call in February 2012. This time, the KORANET Joint Call targets researchers from seven European countries (Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey) and Korea active in the field of Green Technologies.

The three main sub-topics of the KORANET Joint Call are:
. Reduction of carbon footprint
. Technologies for a sustainable development
. Renewable energies and energy efficiency

Proposals can be submitted until 6 April 2012. For more information on the KORANET Joint Call, the Call Text and the Call Guidelines, click here or download the KORANET Joint Call Flyer.

Are you a Korean scientist active in Green Technologies looking for research partners in Europe? Or are you a researcher based in Europe looking for a Korean counterpart to form your research consortium? If yes, then create your profile at the relaunched CORDIS Partners Service run by the European Commission at http://cordis.europa.eu/partners/web/guest/home. Once you have registered you can post and consult partnership requests, check out the latest open FP7 calls and join us at the newly established CORDIS Partners Service group 'EU-Korea cooperation in S&T'. This group is devoted to researchers from Europe and Korea aiming at closer cooperation. As a member of this group you can contact the other members and post any relevant news on EU-Korean S&T cooperation!

---

KORANET Joint Call Partnering Event on Green Technologies, 6/7 February 2012, Seoul/Korea

To launch the second KORANET Joint Call, a Partnering Event was organised on 6/7 February 2012 in Seoul/Korea in order to provide opportunities for researchers from the EU and Korea to meet face-to-face for the exchange of ideas and to start cooperation.

The aim of this event was:
. To officially launch the KORANET Joint Call on Green Technologies
. To present all information, the requirements and steps to participate in the KORANET Joint Call
. To give researchers from Europe and Korea a chance to present their recent work in the area of Green Technologies to an international audience
. To initiate cooperation in the area of Green Technologies between European and Korean researchers that have already voiced their interest in participating in the KORANET Joint Call and thus to facilitate the set-up of project consortia (through a face-to-face brokerage meeting).

Around 30 speakers from Korea and several European countries presented their project ideas to the audience. Overall, almost 100 researchers took part in the event, most of them from Korea.

For more information on the Partnering Event click here.

---

KORANET conference on nanotechologies, 19 October 2011 in Seoul/Korea

The third annual KORANET conference took place on 19 October 2011, in Seoul/Korea. The focus of this year's conference was on nanotechnology and presented current research and achievements, as well as future visions for development and the potential for new applications.

Conference speakers included:
. Dr. Jae Bum Choo, Hanyang University, Korea
. Dr. Caroline Sun Yong Lee, Hanyang University, Korea
. Prof. Gregory Wurtz, King's College, London
. Dr. Arnaud Magrez, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland
. Dr. Jong Joo Rha, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Korea
. Dr. Dong Ha Kim, Ewha Woman's University, Korea

Agenda

Conference report (available soon)

---

KORANET Entrepreneurship Seminar for Early Career Researchers, 20/21 October, Daejeon/Korea

KORANET (Korean scientific cooperation network with the European Research Area held this workshop to provide opportunities for young researchers from the EU and Korea to meet face-to-face for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and information on entrepreneurship skills for nanotechnology and other disciplines, and to explore future areas of research and collaboration. It is increasingly important for researchers to have the know-how to translate scientific knowledge into commercially viable enterprises, but the shift from scientific research to business application is not a straightforward one, and it requires additional skills that are not automatically included in a scientist's training. This one and a half day entrepreneurship workshop actively addressed this knowledge gap. It brought young researchers from Europe and Korea together with entrepreneurs, technology transfer and intellectual property experts, and others involved in the process of taking an idea to market. Writing a business plan, understanding issues around intellectual copyright and the requirements of business contracts were some of the most essential components of the workshop. But above all, the workshop was a vehicle for scientists to interact and exchange information, contacts and experiences. Delegates had the opportunity to learn first-hand from highly experienced scientists turned entrepreneurs. The official language for all presentations was English.

Speakers:
. Mr Jae-Hyun Ahn, Director General, Korean Intellectual Property Office, Korea
. Dr Tim Whitworth, IP Manager, University of Leeds, UK
. Dr Ykä Marjanen, Chief Technology Officer, W-Secure Ltd. Finland

Agenda

Conference report (available soon)

---

KORANET publication 'Korea and Europe - Meeting through science' out now!

The new KORANET publication 'Korea and Europe - Meeting through science' was presented for the first time to a wider audience at the end of June 2011. The publication summarises the content and results of all analytical reports that have been prepared by the KORANET partners in the past 2.5 years. We hope that the publication will be useful to major S&T stakeholders in Europe and Korea, including researchers, research institutions and funding agencies, policy makers at national and international level, cluster managers, those involved or interested in S&T cooperation, and all those responsible for international collaboration.    

The publication is divided into seven main chapters which address:
. Outstanding features of the Korean and European S&T systems
. A short overview of relevant S&T statistics of both regions
. An overview of the main policy instruments for S&T cooperation at bilateral and EU level
. An analysis of the drivers and barriers of cooperation
. S&T clusters and the opportunities they offer for cooperation
. An introduction to the activities of KORANET
. Conclusions and recommendations for further cooperation.    

The KORANET publication 'Korea and Europe - Meeting through science' is available in English or Korean language or in print through sending a request to: koranet@dlr.de.