- The Sixth Korea-Finland Joint Committee on Science and Technology held (Nov. 5, Virtual Meeting)
- ETRI to promote 6G network security cooperation with the University of Oulu
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced on November 5 that the 6th Korea-Finland Joint Committee on Science and Technology (JCST) was held virtually with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland.
The JCST is an intergovernmental consultative body based on the 1989 Korea-Finland Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, which discusses the exchange of science and technology and ICT policies, joint research and cooperation between research institutes.
The 6th JCST was chaired by Jung Hee Kwon, Director-General of the International Cooperation Bureau at the MSIT, and Ilona Lundström, Director-General of Enterprise and Innovation Department at Finland's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
In the JCST meeting, participants had active discussions on scientific and technological cooperation, including proposals for new joint research and sharing of pending science and technology issues between the two countries.
First, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and the University of Oulu* agreed to have technological dominance in key international technology for 6G network security and pursue joint research to achieve international standardization in advance.
* The world's first 6G network flagship project, 6Gensis (6G-Enabled Wireless Smart Society & Ecosystem), is under way, with an investment of about 300 billion won (2018-2026).
In addition, cooperative suggestions were made for the implementation of a low-carbon and circular economy. Hanyang University and VTT Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT) shared measures for carbon neutrality and efficient energy reduction and positively discussed cooperation on future development of eco-friendly technologies.
The Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) presented promising areas of cooperation in biotechnology, such as health, genetic data, and research on infectious diseases, and Korea decided to continue talks to clarify cooperation in these areas.
Finland is a country that has secured future competitiveness, ranking third in the innovation performance evaluation score (2020) surveyed by the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). It is especially meaningful in that the JCST focused on cooperation in the areas of the countries' strengths such as information and communication, future materials, and medical data.
* Korea ranked fourth with 138 points, following Finland (140 points, third).
"Through this joint committee, we were able to confirm the active cooperation between our two countries. We will make efforts to continue to develop cooperation between various institutions, including funding agencies and universities in both countries," said Jung Hee Kwon, Director-General of the International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT.
For further information, please contact Deputy Director Kim Yoonjong (E-mail address : a3344789@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.