Korea Institute of Science and Technology

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST; Korean: 한국과학기술연구원) is a multi-disciplinary research institute located in Seoul, South 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 1970s and 1980s. It has a research staff of over 1,800 research scientists, visiting scientists, fellows and trainees, and foreign scientists involved in basic research in various fields of science and technology.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology was established in 1966 under the auspices of Korean and US governments. The mission of KIST was to assume a central role as the first comprehensive research agency for the promotion of the nation's economic growth and the modernization of engineering fields. It has since developed into the foremost R&D organization and the foundation of technological development in Korea. By concentrating on urgently needed technological development during the early stages of Korea's industrialization, KIST contributed to the modernization of industry and helped push ahead a period of rapid, remarkable economic growth for Korea. In addition, over the years KIST has produced a pool of premier S&T talent and spun off numerous specialized research institutes. These accomplishments have guaranteed its continued role as Korea's leading S&T institute.
KIST's headquarters and main campus is located in the northern area of Seoul in the neighborhood of Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu. KIST opened its branch institutes in Gangeung and Jeonbuk to ensure collaboration between universities, research institutes, and industry in specialized areas of R&D in these respective regions. It has also established a branch in Germany to foster international cooperation with European countries.
KIST Gangnueng focuses on specialized areas of research for local adaption including the development of physiological activating materials from the natural products of the Sea of Japan Rim region and the research for environmental conservation of the Gangwon region.
KIST Jeonbuk was established in 2008 in Wanju, Jeollabuk-do with the specific goal to lead the development of the composite materials industry.
KIST Europe, which was established in Saarbruecken, Germany, in 1996, has been playing an important role in broadening international relationships in the field of basic and applied research. The main goals of KIST Europe are the creation of a forum for technical and economic cooperation between Europe and Korea, the development of a global network for the promotion of scientific and technological cooperation with European countries and the contribution for the development of innovative pollution-control technologies. It also focuses its research on microfluidics & clinical diagnostics and interdisciplinary human biotechnology.
Indo-Korea Science and Technology Center, Bangalore was established in Bengaluru, India, in 2010 with the specialized goal to build a Global Knowledge Platform (GKP) in the field of science and technology between Korea and India.
KIST is a government-supported research institute under the aegis of the Ministry of Science ICT and future planning. The institute administration consists of a president, vice president, and auditor. The current president is Dr. Byung-kwon Lee, who received his master's and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering at the University of Akron. The administrative departments include Research Planning & Coordination Division, Technology Transfer Division, International Cooperation Division, Administration Division, Security Technology Development Group, and the Technology Policy Research Institute.
There are two research institutes and two research divisions at KIST including the Brain Science Institute, the Biomedical Research Institute, the Future Convergence Research Division, and the National Agenda Research Division.
The National Agenda Research Division is responsible for the development of renewable energy sources, carbon cycle, water cycle and original technology for robotics.
KIST offers a variety of academic programs for students in Korea and from abroad.
The Korea University of Science and Technology (UST) is a graduate-level educational institution founded jointly by 22 government institutes in Korea, including KIST, in various fields of science and technology. Students at UST participate in research projects and industrial site operations to receive in-depth field and research-oriented education and training in their respective major disciplines.
KIST founded the International R&D Academy (IRDA) in 2001 as a graduate program. This program is open exclusively to promising foreign scientists and engineers. The goal of this program is to train and educate prospective foreign scientists and engineers to become researchers in academia and industry in their respective countries. Students admitted to IRDA are registered at UST, as KIST confer degrees through UST.
As of 2010, about 100 students from over 20 countries including Israel, Russia, Ukraine, and several Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) were directly involved in research projects at KIST, studying interdisciplinary fusion technologies, materials & devices, robotics & systems, energy, environment and life & health via KIST's mentoring system of training in technology and R&D knowledge.
This collaborative scheme is a S&T educational program which is carried out in partnership with universities in Korea. Participating students are required to complete their basic coursework at the universities where they are enrolled. After beginning their studies, they may involve themselves simultaneously in research and their thesis/dissertation projects at KIST. KIST researchers, in conjunction with faculty at the students’ respective universities, act as co-advisors.
KIST has implemented a Star-Postdoctoral Program for international professionals which is intended to attract new global talent in S&T through a year-round application process and a secure verification system. In addition, KIST runs a training program called Postdoctoral Fellow Program.
KIST has been actively promoting international cooperation through joint research projects, scientist exchange programs, and the sponsorship of international workshops and symposia. Cooperative agreements exist with over 70 research institutes in 27 different countries and this number is expected to expand significantly in coming years.
In addition to KIST Europe, KIST has also founded the Indo-Korea Science and Technology Center to utilize India's abundant S&T potential and lay the groundwork for trade cooperation with one of the largest markets in the world. The Indo-Korea Science and technology center (IKST) was established in 2010 and since then IKST has focused on the commercialization of technology developed by KIST, Korea. The IKST has extended its capability to research and development collaboration with India from November 2013. For this Dr. Seung-Cheol Lee, the R&D director has been dispatched from Korea to promote R&D activity in India. Currently projects on computational Material Science and developing user interface for facilitating massive calculations are going on.
KIST is also engaged in transferring to developing countries its experience and the technologies that have led to Korea's successful industrialization. Consistent implementation of the campus globalization initiative is also in progress to create a research environment at KIST that is attractive to scientists from abroad.
Recently, KIST has been gaining significant media attention with its development of the English-teaching robot. It has been selected as one of ’50 Best Inventions of 2010’ by Time magazine and has been featured on CNN and The New York Times.