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KIST and KOICA Host Kick-off Ceremony for VKIST’s Establishment (2017.11.21)
- Date : 2017-11-30
- Views : 5960
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International Cooperation Team
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KIST and KOICA Host Kick-off Ceremony for VKIST’s Establishment
On November 21, 2017, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology
(KIST) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in collaboration
with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Vietnam, hosted a kick-off
ceremony for the establishment of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and
Technology (VKIST).
The ceremony was attended by about 200
officials and scientists, including the Korean ambassador, Vietnam’s deputy prime
minister, Vietnam’s science and technology minister, and the vice-president of
KIST. At the start of the event, Dr. Kum Dongwha, who was officially appointed
as VKIST’s founding president back in May, briefed attendees on the details
regarding VKIST’s establishment, then signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
for mutual cooperation with partner institutions such as KIST. Later, leaders
in Vietnam’s S&T industry updated the audience on Vietnam’s IT and BT
industries before segueing into a series of lively discussions. Participants
included experts from Viettel (Vietnam’s #1 telecommunication company) and
VABIOTECH (a pharmaceutical company), as well as the director of the National
Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Studies (NISTPASS).
At the event, KIST drew upon its vast
experience, which includes spinning-off 16 other research institutes and
leading Korean S&T development for the past 50 years, to suggest ways in
which VKIST could contribute to Vietnam in similar fashion. In addition, KIST
announced plans for cooperating with VKIST on scientific training and research.
The VKIST establishment project began in 2012 at
the request of Vietnam’s then-prime minister. KOICA allotted KRW 39.2 billion in
official development assistance (ODA) to support the construction of a
KIST-style multidisciplinary research institute located at Hanoi’s Hoa Lac
High-tech Park.