“To advance, basic science and applied science need to collaborate”
Report from the 2015 US-Korea Conference on Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship

The 2015 US-Korea Conference on Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship (UKC 2015) was held from July 29 to August 1 at Hyatt Regency Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and was attended by more than 1,000 scientists and engineers from Korea and the US. This year marks the 17th anniversary for the UKC, and this year’s event was a joint effort between the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP). This year’s UKC had as its theme “Pursuing Excellence with a Servant’s Heart” and focused on introducing science and technology solutions to problems facing mankind. During the conference, the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) drew much of attention from the participants by organizing a meeting to discuss the future path for basic science in South Korea.

“In the US, basic science and applied science (and technology) need to collaborate towards the same goals. They cannot stand in opposition.” At this particular meeting, held at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on July 31, Korean scientists in the US stressed that basic science research and applied technology development can no longer take separate paths.
IBS arranged the meeting to hear the best practices of research projects in the world, in particular experiences by Korean scientists with long academic careers in the US, one of the leading nations in basic science. The participants from Korea were IBS President Doochul Kim, Professor Dohan Kim from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Seoul National University, and Professor Bumhoon Lee from the Department of Physics at Sogang University. Those from the US were Professor Baek Kim from Emory University, Professor Hanjoong Jo from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Emory University, Professor Dongmoon Shin from Emory University School of Medicine and Professor Chuengryong Ji from the Department of Physics at North Carolina State University. What attracted the attention of the scientists from Korea at the meeting was the recent trend of establishment of joint departments in the US. Seven years ago, Emory University and Georgia Tech established such a joint department in biomedical engineering. This move was geared toward converging basic science research at Emory’s School of Medicine with technology from the Georgia Tech College of Engineering. Professor Hanjoong Jo stated that “The recent trend in the field of bioengineering in the US is the establishment of joint departments at such institutions as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),” adding, “More than 110 biomedical programs in both US universities and their Chinese counterparts are looking for benchmarking partnerships.” Students who complete the joint program at either Emory or Georgia Tech will earn a degree from both universities. If they wish to pursue a graduate program, they can apply through one of the two schools and also apply for the advisor they would like to work with. Professor Jo also said, “Running a program together is difficult due to the two different school systems, but it has been possible thanks to the commitment of the program members.” Recently, Peking University joined the partnership, so students can receive a degree from three universities. After studying both basic and applied science on all three campuses, students choose the field they wish to pursue further and apply to the graduate program that suits their interests.
The main impetus behind this trend is the enormous advantage possible through joint programs. Professor Dongmoon Shin said, “During the process of drug development, a medical school tests the chemical compounds while a college of engineering looks for ways to commercialize them,” adding, “Again, the medical school takes the lead in pre-clinical and clinical testing, which accelerates the development process.” Professor Baek Kim added, “Like oil and water, [basic science and applied technology] do not mix easily, but collaborative research by the two will eliminate numerous bottlenecks in the development process.”

Yungjoon Yoo, head of the Research Services Division at IBS, Prof. Hanjoong Jo from Georgia Tech and Emory Univ., IBS President Doochul Kim, Prof. Dongmoon Shin from Emory Univ., Prof. Chuengryong Ji of North Carolina State Univ., Prof. Baek Kim from Emory Univ., Prof. Dohan Kim from Seoul National Univ., and Prof. Bumhoon Lee from Sogang Univ. attend a meeting with Korean scholars in the US, organized by IBS (From left to right, top photo)

Unfortunately, this is not the situation in Korea. Basic science is still mainly supported by the MSIP, while convergence technology by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). To add to this, there is a tendency among basic science researchers to criticize applied scientists as “only caring about money” while the latter disparage the former for “only spending money.” The Korean scientists from the US said, “There is absolutely no such fingerpointing in the US.” Professor Chuengryong Ji said, “When basic science researchers develop a sound theory, engineers can make use of it,” adding, “The boundaries between the two have been blurred in today’s industry.” When it comes to the persistent disregard of basic science in South Korea, they said in unison, “It is necessary to emphasize that without basic science, the benefits of science and technology would not be available.” In other words, all kinds of science and technology developments such as GPS, weather forecasting systems and smartphones came out of basic science.
The scientists at the meeting agreed on a solution to this lack of regard for basic science and the antagonism between basic and applied sciences: teach students how to find solutions to problems. Developing their abilities to find as many solutions as possible is essential, instead of using only one solution to address every problem. “When I first began teaching in the US, I gave one of my undergraduate freshmen classes an assignment to look for ways to cure arteriosclerosis, and they submitted a variety of ways using nano technology, physics, biotechnology, etc.,” said Professor Jo, recounting an interesting story. “When the boundaries between basic and applied sciences disappear, new ideas are born.” Professor Bum Hoon Lee added, “When learning of basic science and an understanding of its theories meet with engineering that is properly injected into the field, anyone can step forward as the first mover. […] Only when different people with different backgrounds form a natural team and work together, will the complicated problems of modern society be solved.”
Also in the discussion was why many Korean scientists producing good results at prestigious US universities did not find success once coming back to South Korea. Most pointed to poor global networking as the culprit. South Korea’s exclusive research environment prevents scientists in the country from communicating with brilliant scientists abroad. Some participants said, “It seems like South Korea’s scientific community still follows a ‘closed-door’ policy.” IBS President Doochul Kim said, “Though we have four foreign directors in our 25 Centers, still there is the sentiment against providing our nation’s research funds to foreigners in Korea.” Professor Jo joined in by saying, “For the same project, collaboration with worldclass scholars will reap more fruitful results than working alone,” adding, “Research centers in South Korea also need to be open rather than exclusive when it comes to conducting research.”
On a final note, scientists living in the US were generous with their advice for IBS. Professor Jo: “Although IBS has a great system, each research director might want to do something different.” He added, “It would be necessary not to apply a single system for everyone but have flexibility in systems.” Professor Baek Kim said, “International joint research and the hiring of foreign research directors with outstanding performance need to be encouraged as this will help promote technology development in South Korea. It is also necessary to find ways to continuously inject fresh ideas into research centers.”

Written by
Ho Seop Won, Journalist, Maeil Business Newspaper