Urging Innovation for the Post-COVID Era at the KAIST Summit
Universities are facing ever-mounting pressure to address impacts brought on by COVID-19 and the emerging technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Presidents from MIT, Tokyo Tech, and Northwestern University joined the KAIST Summit to explore new directions for higher education during the post-COVID era intertwined with the 4IR. They agreed that addressing these dual challenges requires pushing for innovations to rebuild the competitive edges of universities.
This summit was one of KAIST’s series of events to envision the future of KAIST and higher education in celebration of its 50th anniversary. The online summit live streamed on KAIST’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/KAISTofficial) on February 3, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Korean time (February 2, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CST and 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST, respectively).
The KAIST Summit titled “The Roles and Responsibilities of Universities in a Global Crisis” discussed a range of issues affecting many aspects of universities in the coming decades.
“This summit will allow us to measure the level of risk that universities face today and will face in the future. Although there will be varying views on what a post-COVID world might look like, one thing for sure is that universities cannot go back to the way they used to exist and operate. Moreover, the 4IR continues to infiltrate and shake up our daily lives. Changes are inevitable, and universities must pursue bold and innovative responses to remain sustainable and relevant to society,” said KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin on the background of hosting the event.
President Shin also delivered a presentation on the “Visions & Innovations for the Next Dream of KAIST.” He reflected on the remarkable track record from KAIST’s first 50 years and how it has contributed significantly to the rapid growth of Korea as a hi-tech powerhouse. Furthermore, he elaborated on a new vision for the development of KAIST over the next 50 years and rolled out a set of strategic innovation plans in the five areas of education, research, technology commercialization, globalization, and future strategy.
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