programs
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New Year's Greeting Ceremony Held on January 2nd
The year 2014 is the Year of the Wooden Horse in Chinese astrology: A dynamic (Horse) and prosperous (Wood) New Year to all at KAIST!
President Steve Kang hosted a New Year’s greeting ceremony on January 2 nd at an auditorium on campus and gave a keynote speech on major administrative policies and academic programs to take effect for the year 2014. K-Valley and End-Run projects, as well as a review of efforts to decentralize the academic system in order to grant colleges and departments more autonomy in their operation of education and research programs were among the few discussed.
The K-Valley project will help KAIST and its neighboring research complex, the Daedeok Innopolis, build a leading multi-layered, innovative cluster of startups and new businesses in Korea through close collaborations among university, research institutes, and industry. The End-Run is a project to attract global investors and companies to Korea that will capitalize on the highest quality talents and technologies developed by KAIST.
President Steve Kang said that he would continue the last year’s campaign to make the campus “happier” throughout this year, encouraging members of the KAIST community to trust and respect and communicate better with each other.
2014.01.07 View 7776 -
Prime Minister's Prize for KAIST TBIC at 2013 Korean Venture & Business Expo
The KAIST Technology Business Incubation Center (TBIC) received the Prime Minister’s Prize at the 2013 Korean Venture & Business Expo. TBIC started its service in 1994 and was selected as the best center by the Asia Association of Business Incubation (AABI) in 2007.
The center has contributed to business incubation for competitive enterprises through consulting, venture capital, educational curriculums, and infrastructure service. It has also encouraged and activated business startups by KAIST students through educational programs and supporting services such as hidden champion buildup, mentoring & networking, startup auditions, and special lecture sessions for entrepreneurship.
TBIC has supported 488 businesses since 1994, and 278 companies (57%) are still in business. Eleven companies have been listed on the Korea Stock Exchange through the support of TBIC and eight of them are still on the list as of today. Those companies have been contributing to the national economy with total sales of 1.9 trillion won and in job creation by hiring 5,908 employees.
2013.12.11 View 9052 -
Venture Incubation Program: "Startup KAIST"
Making KAIST’s research accomplishments accessible outside the university to benefit Korea and beyond, as well as spurring the process of knowledge and technology transfer between academia and industry
KAIST launched a new business incubation program, called “Startup KAIST,” to support the growth of venture companies in late November 2013.
The program fosters a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus while advancing the development and commercialization of new discoveries and technologies made at the labs of the university.
Startup KAIST promotes entrepreneurship culture among faculty, students, researchers, and alumni; supports the full cycle of a startup ecosystem from the introduction, growth, maturity, and liquidation of new companies; encourages the development of globally sustainable startups; and collaborates with the Daedeok Innopolis, the largest science and technology research, development and business complex in Korea that is located adjacent to KAIST in Daejeon, to expand the startup program to the nation and the global community.
Under the program, the Startup KAIST Studio will be established. The entire third floor of the Education Support Building on campus is dedicated to startup activities where aspiring entrepreneurs come to network, develop new ideas and innovations, and share information and knowledge.
With a total of 24,000 square feet space, the Studio has neither partitions nor cubicles, thereby promoting open communication. It has seminar rooms, a high-tech-equipped conference room, an exhibition hall, offices, and cafés. The Startup Studio will be available for use from March 2014.
In addition to administrative services, Startup KAIST will offer a variety of courses, forums, and conferences on such subjects as entrepreneurship, technology management, intellectual property, and venture capital, along with training and mentoring programs on how to organize a company, secure funding, and pursue entrepreneurial visions.
Seeking active collaborations with alumni, industry, and other science and technology universities through Startup KAIST, the university will redouble its endeavor to form early-stage venture companies. Seasoned professional coordinators or volunteering entrepreneurs will stay at the Startup KAIST Studio to provide timely support for members of the KAIST community.
President Steve Kang said, “Startup KAIST is a one-stop service to create a new, strong company, small and medium size in particular, around innovations and disruptive technologies developed at KAIST and its adjacent research complex, Daedeok Innopolis.”“One of the important roles assigned to a research university today is to become a catalyst for knowledge and technology transfer among society, industry, and academia, upon which the advancement of humanity can build. KAIST will become a sounding board for engineers and scientists aspiring to launch a venture company to address their questions and concerns and to guide them through the startup process,” President Kang explained the need for implementing the Startup KAIST program.
Inside of the Startup KAIST Studio
2013.12.04 View 10190 -
KAIST's Partnership Agreement with the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK
KAIST signed an agreement on academic and research cooperation with the Imperial College of Science, Technology (Imperial College London) and Medicine in the United Kingdom (UK) on November 6th, 2013 in London.
The two universities have been implementing collaboration programs at the department level in the areas of plastic electronics since September 2012 and systems engineering and molecular simulation since February 2013, but have never had a formal partnership agreement.
President Steve Kang from KAIST and Provost James Stirling from Imperial College London signed the comprehensive cooperation agreement which will not only strengthen the existing collaborations between the two institutions but also explore areas of mutual interest in the interdisciplinary study of big data, as well as in the fields of mechanical engineering, synthetic biology, and quantum physics.
Workshops, seminars, lectures, and conferences will be jointly organized and held to facilitate the exchange of research staff and faculty and to promote collaborations in research assignments. The universities will also look into the possibility of exchange programs for undergraduate and graduate students.
The partnership agreement will be effective for five years.
Minister Moon-Gi Choi from the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Science, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) & Future Planning attended the signing ceremony as well and congratulated the establishment of the partnership, saying:
“We are living in the age of highly advanced science and technology that requires us to have a new economic development paradigm for sustainable growth. Through convergence research based on the application of ICT and technology innovation, we will have new opportunities for development. I hope KAIST and the Imperial College London will be at the forefront of such endeavors in coming years.”With its history spanning over 100 years, the Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, UK, specializing in science, engineering, medicine, and business. The university is regarded as being one of the most prestigious universities in the world, having eminent alumni such as Thomas Henry Huxley (biologist), H.G. Wells (author), and Sir Alexander Fleming (pharmacologist).
From left to right: Provost James Stirling, Minister Moon-Gi Choi, and President Steve Kang
2013.11.12 View 10667 -
Artist in residence program at KAIST
A new and innovative program to support artists’ creative activities was launched by KAIST for the first time in Korean college history.
The artist in residence program is an unusual collaboration between engineers and artists. Out of hundreds of applicants for the program, three writers were selected: a novelist, web-based cartoonist, and screen writer. In late October, they became the residents of KAIST.
Housing and an office are provided for the writers in addition to a monthly cash stipend of 800,000 won for up to six months. A variety of programs will be available as well including a tour of laboratories to help the writers get ideas and inspiration.
KAIST’s Vice President Jun-Ho Oh, the founder of the program, said, “Artists can freshen their imagination, and KAIST members can benefit from them to promote creative and innovative ideas through exchange and collaboration.”
2013.11.04 View 7327
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Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee appointed as an advisor for Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China
In recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the area of bioengineering, specializing in metabolic engineering, Sang Yup Lee, a distinguished professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST, was assigned as an advisory professor for the bioengineering department at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China for five years from August 2013 to July 2018.
Together with Peking University and Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is one of the top three universities in China.
The advisory professors carry out collaborated research programs in special areas and provide advice on education and research issues.
Professor Lee, a specialist in metabolic engineering, has initiated systems metabolic engineering which integrates metabolic engineering, systems biology, and synthetic biology and has applied it to various chemical production systems to develop bio fuel and many eco-friendly chemical production processes. Recently, he received the Marvin J. Johnson Award from the American Chemistry Society, the Charles Thom Award from the American Society for Industrial Microbiology, as well as the Amgen Biochemical Engineering Award. As a global leader in the area of bioengineering, Professor Lee is a member of the Korean Academy of Science & Technology, the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, the US National Academy of Engineering, and is the chairman of the Global Agenda Council on Biotechnology at the World Economic Forum.
2013.10.31 View 10430 -
KAIST and Seoul National University Agree to Expand Cooperation in Education and Research
The presidents of two top-notch universities in Korea, KAIST and Seoul National University (SNU), met on July 23rd at the SNU campus and agreed to expand their academic cooperation to promote the univresities" mutual development.
To start, President Yeon-Cheon Oh of SNU proposed a student exchange program through which SNU students can take courses at KAIST for six months.
In return, President Steve Kang suggested that KAIST establish a liaison office on the SNU campus to facilitate better communication between two universities, thereby developing more exchange programs for research and education.Additionally, the two public universities will set up a task force to implement the agreement, conduct joint research programs, and hold regular meetings between their faculty members.President Kang said, “SNU has superb academic and research programs not only in the fields of science and technology but also in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. KAIST will surely benefit from SNU’s excellence in a broad range of academic disciplines, and SNU will have an opportunity to capitalize on KAIST’s expertise in science, engineering, and technology to enhance its growth.”At the conclusion of their consultation, the presidents expressed the hope that the agreement will strengthen the two institutions" capacity for competitiveness and globalization, preparing them to compete with leading universities in the world.
2013.07.25 View 8921 -
Thinking Out of the Box: KAIST Silicon Valley Innovation Platform
KAIST established a liaison office in San Jose, California, to support the entrepreneurship of KAIST graduates, students, and faculty who aspire to transform their innovative ideas into business.
The office, KAIST Silicon Valley Innovation Platform (SVIP), is located within the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) IT Center on North First Street in San Jose.
SVIP collects information and analyzes trends on emerging technologies; provides various educational programs on entrepreneurship and technology translation; offers opportunities to prospective entrepreneurs to engage with industry and research and government organizations; and assists Korean startups in accessing the US and North American market.
President Steve Kang attended the opening ceremony of the office on June 14th and encouraged KAIST alumni living in the US to share their ideas and technology innovations and transform them into business opportunities.
For more information, please contact Professor Soung-Hie Kim (seekim@business.kaist.ac.kr) from the Graduate School of Information and Media Management, KAIST.
2013.07.04 View 10140 -
6th TEDxKAIST Held on May 11, 2013
The sixth TEDxKAIST (https://www.facebook.com/TEDxKAIST?fref=ts) took place on May 11, 2013. The event was held under the theme, “Choice between Birth and Death,” and the slogan, “B-C-D,” which was inspired from Jean Paul Satre’s quote, “Life is a choice between birth and death.”
The following speakers gave talks on the choices they have made and the impacts on their lives: Sonya S. Kwak, Professor of the Industrial Design Department at Ehwa Women’s University; Meoung-Seok Oh, a college student majoring in dental technology and business at Korea University; SooA Yeo, CEO of “Chalk,” a social venture company that offers talent donations; and Jeong-Won Lee, a senior researcher at Medical Imaging Laboratory, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).
According to the speakers, every day we make decisions, and these decisions affect not only our own lives, but also our society as a whole. Speakers and participants explored the underlying relations between the choices being made and the outcome resulted therefrom. Attendees also shared their experiences and ideas that helped them to make the right decision and stressed the importance of choices we make in our lives.
TEDxKAIST is an event operating under the official license of TED to hold TEDx programs based on TED’s slogan “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Since the first event took place under the theme “Science for Happiness, Happiness for Science” on September 2010, TEDxKAIST has brought together over 300 participants through five successful events.
2013.05.31 View 9073 -
Cooperation Agreement signed between KAIST and University of Oxford
On April 6th, a Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), including the exchange of students between two universities, was signed by KAIST and University of Oxford on April 6th.
In the MOU, KAIST and Oxford agreed to achieve mutual development through cooperation, such as joint research programs and the exchange of professors and students.
President Sung-Mo Kang stated, “This agreement will be the start of close cooperation between the two universities, and I will continue to endeavor to expand the relationship.”
Andrew Hamilton, the president of Oxford University replied, “I am well aware of the excellent quality of teaching and research of Korean students and KAIST. I hope the cooperation between KAIST and Oxford will achieve exchange at diverse levels.”
President Hamilton taught chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and Princeton University and also served as the vice-president of Yale University. Having experience of teaching a KAIST student before, he has high praise for the ability of KAIST students.
The President of the University of Oxford, Andrew Hamilton (left), and the President of KAIST, Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang, shake hands in acknowledgement of signing the Cooperation MOU.
2013.05.20 View 7445 -
KAIST and Saudi Aramco agreed to establish a joint CO2 research center in Korea
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Saudi Aramco, a global energy and petrochemicals enterprise, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on January 6, 2013 in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and pledged to jointly collaborate in research and development of innovative technologies and solutions to address the world"s energy challenges.
Under the MOU, the two entities agreed to establish a research center, Saudi Aramco-KAIST CO2 Research Center, near KAIST"s main campus in Daejeon, Korea. The research center, to be jointly managed by KAIST and Saudi Aramco, will foster and facilitate research collaborations in areas such as tackling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by removal or capture of CO2, conversing CO2 into useful products, developing efficiency improvements in energy production, sharing carbon management technologies, establishing exchange programs, and conducting joint projects.
According to Saudi Aramco, the company"s collaboration with KAIST is the first partnership established in Asia. Khalid A. Al-Falih, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, said,
"The CO2 Research Center represents a major step in Saudi Aramco"s research and technology strategy to partner with top global institutions to help address and find sustainable solutions to the world’s energy challenge both domestically and internationally."
2013.03.19 View 12011
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KAIST Inaugurates Its 15th President
President Sung-Mo “Steve” Kang praised what KAIST has achieved as a powerful engine for the economic and industrial advancement of Korea over the past 41 years, while pledging to continue its endeavor “to go above and beyond its present accomplishments.”
KAIST inaugurated its 15th president, Sung-Mo “Steve” Kang, on February 27, 2013, in a ceremony at the auditorium of its main campus in Daejeon, South Korea. President Kang delivered his inauguration speech to 1,000 distinguished guests from government and public offices and the nation’s science community, including Chairman Myung Oh of the KAIST Board of Trustees, Former Presidents of KAIST Soon-Dal Choi and Chang-Sun Hong, Former National Assembly Member Yong-Kyung Lee, and members of the university.
In his speech, President Kang recalled that he had formed a strong bond with KAIST over many years, before assuming the presidency and extolled the university’s contribution to Korea’s current economic prowess. Referring to the “growing pains” that KAIST has experienced amid its successes, he vowed to unify the university community to take another leap forward:
We must ease the pain through trust and consideration for one another and join in unity to take steps toward the brighter tomorrow of KAIST. I humbly seek your help and pledge to put forth my utmost effort as a servant and leader.
Speaking of KAIST’s importance to the Korean nation, President Kang said, “Korea, as a nation lacking a deep pool of natural resources, must find innovative ways to compete globally to ensure the prosperity and well-being of its people.” He emphasized KAIST’s role as a catalyst to “lead the nation toward the frontiers of science and technology with fervor and responsibility.”
In order to become a global leader in higher learning and contribute to the advancement of science and technology in Korea and beyond, President Kang said that KAIST must do well in five areas with letters matching those of its own acronym: Knowledge creation, Advancement on all fronts, Integrity, Sustainability, and Trust.
In knowledge creation, the president pointed out the necessity of collaboration, student-centered and faculty-led research programs, and interdisciplinary research. For advancement on all fronts, he proposed redrafting KAIST’s future blueprint by consulting with all of its constituents and the Board of Trustees to improve the overall efficiency of the university.
President Kang added that KAIST should uphold integrity in all research publications, financial management, and human relations to withstand unforeseen challenges and problems and that is should seek sustainable value for education and research, not becoming overly driven by short-term research goals. Last, he said that KAIST must be an institution trusted by the public and KAIST faculty, students, and staff. This culture of trust can be made possible, he added, when the members of the university do their best to create an environment of understanding and caring for each other.
President Kang concluded his remarks by promising that he would always open his door and welcome anyone for visits, discussions, and sharing. Known as “Captain Smooth” for the well-rounded, warm, yet decisive leadership style that he showed during his chancellorship at the University of California, Merced, President Kang now pledges to guide KAIST to become better and stronger in the next four years. For a full transcript of the speech, download the PDF file below.
2013.03.13 View 8900