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.

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

KORANET is holding a Partnering Event 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 for the KORANET Joint Call on Green Technologies.

The aim of this event is:
. 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 will be presenting their project ideas to the audience. Overall, more than 100 researchers are expected to take part in the event, most of them from Korea. The KORANET Joint Call on Green Technologies will be open for proposal submission from 6 February to 6 April 2012.

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

The Partnering Event targets researchers from universities, research institutions, SMEs or industries from Europe and Korea who are interested in sharing new project ideas and finding collaboration partners within the field of Green Technologies. The main European target countries are those that participate in the KORANET Joint Call: Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

Download the agenda (updated 2 February 2012)

REGISTRATION

There are two ways to participate in the Partnering Event:

1) Participation as one of the 30 speakers who will present their research and project ideas: Please fill in the PROFILE FORM and return it to celine.timmermans@cnrs-dir.fr by Monday, 16 January 2012 at the latest. After the deadline, the KORANET Joint Call Secretariat will contact those researchers that will be invited. Transport and accommodation costs of the speakers will be covered by KORANET.

2) Participation as part of the audience: Please fill in the REGISTRATION FORM and return it to celine.timmermans@cnrs-dir.fr by Monday, 23 January 2012 at the latest. Participation is free of charge; registration is necessary.

In case of questions or for further information please contact: celine.timmermans@cnrs-dir.fr (Joint Call Secretariat).

For more information on the KORANET Joint Call on Green technologies see the KORANET Joint Call Project Flyer here.

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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)

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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)

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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.