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KIST Gangneung Branch signed MOU with University of Manitoba in Canada (2016.09.28)
- Date : 2016-11-09
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KIST Gangneung Branch signed MOU with University of Manitoba in Canada
- To support domestic herb company’s export and promote health of native Canadians -
Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Dr. Lee Byung Gwon) Gangneung Institute of Natural Products (KIST Gangneung, Director Oh Sang-rok) signed an MOU with the Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN), the native Canadian autonomous region, KAST Engineering Co., Ltd. (CEO Park Hoo-won) and Gyeongbuk Techno Park (President Jaehoon RHEE) for 「Enhancement of domestic herb company’s competence for global market entry and R&D collaboration through KIST Gangneung Institute’s technical support 」 at University of Manitoba in Canada on September 26 (Mon).
Under the MOU, KIST Gangneung will utilize the herb plant system to identify herbs with medical efficacy for serious metabolic diseases such as diabetics, obesity and high blood pressure and provide the cultivation methods of such herbs. KAST Engineering will expand the herb plant provision project in collaboration with OCN to all other native Canadian autonomous regions in Canada, going beyond the Manitoba province, to carry out the joint business (OCN Project).
Meanwhile, Gyeongbuk Techno Park will provide stable infrastructure to develop the herb plant system and research fund to KIST Gangneung. University of Manitoba will carry out clinical tests and verify the medical efficacy of the herbs produced by the herb plant with OCN native Canadians.
KIST Gangneung Director Oh said, “Through this Korea-Canada collaboration OCN project, I hope Korea’s advanced technology would contribute to health promotion of native Canadians and this project would be a successful model of the global business.”
Currently, the federal government and state governments in Canada spend a substantial amount of medical expenses to promote health of native Canadians dwelling in the OCN and other 62 autonomous regions in the North of Canada, where nutrition deficiency due to cold weather and the poverty shortens the healthy life expectancy of the residents in the region.