A total of six such coordination centers worldwide are intended to strengthen cooperation between Korean companies and international research institutions. The coordination center in Germany – called “K-FAST – Korea Fraunhofer Office of Science and Technology” – joins a network of locations in the USA, including MIT, Yale University and Johns Hopkins University. Together, they will form a cooperation platform through which the Korean economy aims to network more closely with partners of excellence worldwide.
The tasks of the Fraunhofer Office include providing the appropriate expertise on both sides, planning joint research and development projects and supporting researchers from Korea as part of the MOTIE-funded program. The Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) is the organizer and project sponsor of the programme. As part of the international cooperation, investments of several million US dollars are planned in Germany alone.
In Berlin, KIAT and Fraunhofer opened the coordination office in the presence of representatives from the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and sealed their close cooperation with the signing of a letter of agreement. Dr. Johann Feckl, responsible for advanced research and international affairs at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, emphasizes: “We are pleased that Fraunhofer, together with renowned US research institutions, has been selected by Korea as a partner of excellence to jointly accelerate developments, for example in the field of battery cells and semiconductor technology. This close cooperation is important because Korea is not only an important political partner, but also one of the ten most innovative countries in the world. We can learn a lot from each other and generate new knowledge together.”
Under the umbrella of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are the eight Fraunhofer Institutes for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP in Dresden, for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI in Berlin, for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB in Erlangen, for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam, for Production Technology IPT in Aachen, for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategy IWKS in Alzenau as well as for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS (leading) and for Materials and Beam Technology IWS, both in Dresden. Other Fraunhofer Institutes, such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, will also be involved in future projects. KIAT is also inviting other German institutions and companies to participate in the cooperation.
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Further links
👉 www.ikts.fraunhofer.de
Photo: Fraunhofer HHI
