On Thursday August 27, the IBS President, directors, division heads, team heads and administration staff gathered in Pohang to take part in the 2nd IBS Directors Council meeting. The two-day event provided a keen insight into the scientific research undertaken at research centers, and the intricate workings behind the scenes of the scientific institute. The directors discussed many issues relating to the running of the organization. The three topics to be discussed were the tenure review system, the triennial review plan and the global branding of the IBS Conference/Symposium. The discussions were followed by a series of announcements: upgrading the PR process for research outcomes, plans for the 2015 budgets of all IBS Centers, and a proposed feedback system for administrative staff.

IBS President Kim Doochul began with a cordial introduction of Koh Gou Young, the new IBS Director of the Center for Vascular Research. Director Koh explained, in detail, what he hopes his newly formed center will achieve. It will focus on the formation of new blood and lymphatic vessels, and studying cells throughout the body. This in-depth research will enable scientists to develop new drugs and stem cells to treat cardiovascular diseases

Construction of a new phase in IBS’ history

Directors were informed of the planned construction of an International Science Business Belt (ISBB), where the IBS Complex will be located. The plan will see a state of the art development built in EXPO Science Park in Daejeon. The timeline for the construction was due to begin in 2016, but has been pushed back to 2017. The second phase will begin in 2018 and completed three years later. Most of the buildings currently standing in EXPO Science Park will be demolished to make way for the IBS complex.

Review Plans & Global Branding

After a brief interlude, the issue of how to efficiently and effectively review tenure-track researchers at each center was discussed at length. Currently tenure-track researchers are subject to a full review after five years. Directors discussed the issue and added valuable feedback and ideas for the final timeframe to be reviewed. Some of the directors felt that a young, bright scientist would require more than five years to produce results. Directors expressed a strong will to establish a system of checks and balance whilst upholding the autonomy of each Center. The final review system will implement their ideas and be presented to the directors later in the year.

The Directors also discussed the draft of a triennial review plan for Centers. The president said that the success of IBS depended on how the review was managed. Transparency is paramount to the review and all directors agreed on the inclusion of foreign scientific experts in the review panels. The draft proposal was largely accepted by the directors, with only one or two issues being raised and some slight adjustments needed, such as a definite goal and clearer plans for what occurs after the review takes place. The final version of this plan will be presented to the Directors Council later in the year.

A new system, presented to the directors by Mr. Shim Sibo, confidently outlined the Department of Communications plan to upgrade and expand the direction and scope in delivering effective and efficient PR. The new strategy has a dual approach: all research outcomes will be written in Korean and English which will promote the center to a wider audience, both domestically and globally. If it’s deemed necessary a press conference will be held to further highlight the research outcome and attract the media. The second approach will entail the Department of Communications identifying specific and immediate research outcomes and heavily promoting them.

By Neil Mannix