Korea Institute of Science and Technology
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[edit] Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)(http://www.kist.re.kr) is a multi-disciplinary research institute located in Seoul, Korea. Founded in 1966, it was the first multi-disciplinary scientific research institute in Korea and has contributed significantly to the economic development of the country, particularly during the years of accelerated growth in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It has a research staff of over 400 scientists involved in basic research in five core areas:
• Future Technology Research
• Materials Science and Technology
• Systems Technology
• Environment & Process Technology
• Life Sciences
KIST opened an additional research facility in Korea in April, 2006, in Gangwon Province. The KIST Gangneung Institute was established to promote specialized industrial development in the province through environmental research based on the rich natural resources and ecology of the area.
In addition to its Korea-based facilities, KIST established a European operation in 1996 in Saarbrücken, Germany. The goal of KIST Europe (http://www.kist-europe.de) is to expand scientific and technological cooperation between Korea and the EU countries. To date, research has focused on environment technology, human engineering and medtronics.
KIST has been actively promoting international cooperation through joint research projects, scientist exchange programs, and the sponsorship of international workshops and symposiums. Cooperative agreements exist with over 50 foreign research institutes in 25 different countries and this number is expected to expand significantly in coming years.
In addition, KIST puts a great deal of emphasis on training research scientists, not only from Korean universities, but from many foreign countries as well. The International R&D Academy (IRDA) (http://irda.kist.re.kr) was established at KIST in 2001 to train and educate foreign scientists and engineers. M.S. and Ph.D degrees are awarded to these students through KIST’s collaboration with the University of Science and Technology (www.ust.ac.kr). The IRDA program has over 75 students from over 15 countries and is expected to grow to 100 students by 2008.
Research Divisions
Future Technology Research
This division is primarily focused on achieving advancements in the field of nano devices by developing spintronic technology, intelligent micro-systems, bio-chip technology and clean water technology.
Materials Science and Technology
This division is primarily focused on nano material fields such nanopowders, new materis for thin film, and advanced materials for electronic and information devices.
Systems Technology
This division is primarily focused on the field of lifetronics such as Human Computer Interaction (HCI), microsystems and next generation optical technology.
Environment & Process Technology
This division is focused on developing environmental monitoring, management and control technologies as well as researching next-generation energy systems based on advanced fuel cells and batteries.
Life Sciences
This division is focused on the discovery of biologically active novel compounds via chemoinformatics, validation of drug targets, drug delivery systems, tissue engineering and the mechanism of CNS diseases with the aid of IT and BT-based in silico technologies.
