KORANET will contribute to increasing the quality, quantity, profile and impact of S&T cooperation activities between Korea and the European Research Area (ERA). With the help of several analytical exercises (mappings, foresight studies and other reports), the establishment of a pilot joint funding scheme and a joint funding programme as well as several joint activities (conferences, workshops and brokerage events) the project aims at building a sustainable and coordinated implementation of a common research area and the increase of Korean participation in the 7th Research Framework Programme.
KORANET aims at facilitating research cooperation between Korea and the European Union and at strengthening the communication between the two scientific communities.
The detailed objectives of KORANET are:
The concept of KORANET is based on two pillars:
Both threads are interlinked and will lead to the implementation of a joint funding scheme (pilot call) of interested programme owners, followed by an evaluation of the scheme and the proposal of a concept for a sustainable joint funding programme in a thematic area still to be agreed.
Over the last decade Korea has attracted special attention due to its enormous developments in fields such as the economy, welfare, democracy, innovation and research. Taking this fact into account, the European Union and the Republic of Korea signed two cooperation agreements on 22 November 2006, one on S&T and one relating to fusion energy research. Especially the S&T agreement forms the legal basis of EU-Korean cooperation and will promote collaboration in areas where both the EU and Korea have similar priorities. Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: ‘This agreement is recognition of the importance of strong science and research for both the EU and Korea. We all have much to gain from working together, in terms of quality of life, jobs and economic growth.’ The S&T Agreement reflects longstanding partnerships between Korea and certain European countries as regards S&T collaboration, for example the United Kingdom, France and Germany with which Korea already has bilateral S&T cooperation agreements. Today, other European countries (e.g. Austria or the Nordic countries) actively seek to increase S&T linkages with Korea, and a variety of institutional agreements have recently been signed.
Equally to the objectives of the European Union with its Lisbon Goals to develop into a knowledge-based economy (and society) in order to be competitive on global markets, both, Korea and the EU, face the same challenges: S&T is the key to achieving sustainable development and economic growth. Korea and the EU share a common interest in specific areas of science, e.g. fusion energy (see also the ITER fusion energy project), life sciences (biotechnology and health research), information society technologies and telecommunications, industrial and materials technologies, sustainable development, renewable energy sources, satellites, earth observation as well as humanities and social sciences (as both face the same challenges in terms of demography, etc.). Moreover, both partners are keen to increase public and private investment in research over the next years and share concerns about the projected shortfalls in scientists and researchers that could affect their economies in the coming decades.
KORANET is funded under the 7th Research Framework Programme of the European Community.
Project Number: FP7-226154
Programme: Capacities (Activities of International Cooperation)
Instrument: Coordination Action (ERA-NET)
