“Not all those who wander are lost.” This is a line from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which has encouraged a lot of readers. On the first day of the 2015 IBS-Royal Society Research Conference, Professor Harry Kroto, Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), began his keynote speech with the above quotation and told his life story as a researcher. He said that in the course of enjoying research itself out of curiosity about nature and the universe, he was able to make an unexpected breakthrough even though this required a long process.
Professor Kroto received the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his discovery of fullerene, a carbon molecule in the form of a soccer ball. He said that constant curiosity and a pure passion were the driving forces of his successful research. He also emphasized, "International collaboration in the field of basic research is important for the next-generation of researchers to make significant scientific discoveries. I hope that this conference will serve as an opportunity for researchers to better understand the status of basic research that is currently conducted in both countries and to seek the possibility of collaborative research.”

Professor Anthony Cheetham, Vice President of the Royal Society, provided unstinting support for the organization of the joint conference. He said in his opening speech,“Since it was established in 1660, the Royal Society has sought excellence in science. Recently, the Society has been actively promoting international cooperation projects.” He also said, “It is a pleasure to have a cooperative relationship with IBS, an institute which was established for the development of basic research in Korea. Let us promote viable collaborative research activities.” IBS President Doochul Kim responded by saying, “It is very meaningful that this is the second consecutive year in which outstanding scientists from Korea and the UK are gathered again for scientific exchanges. Let us actively take part in the discussions of each session and make efforts to develop specific plans for collaborative research.”
During the two-day event, Korean and UK researchers in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, astro-/paticle physics, and genome science shared their research content, promoted mutual understanding, and actively sought the possibility of collaborative research. The nanoscience and nanotechnology session was chaired by Professor Cheetham and Je-Geun Park (IBS Associate Director of the Center for Correlated Electron Systems). The session’s speakers consisted of five FRSs including Professor Peter Bruce (Oxford University) and four IBS directors (Rodney Ruoff, Han Woong Yeom, Sergej Flach, and Young Hee Lee). They shared their opinions regarding the future of nanotechnology and discussed a new direction for nanoscience.

The IBS directors introduced the Centers that they are in charge of and the main research areas of each Center in detail. Professor Kroto enriched the session by commenting on every presentation and participating in discussions.
The astro-/particle physics session was chaired by Carlos Frenk (FRS, Durham University) and Hyun Su Lee (IBS Associate Director of the Center for Underground Physics). IBS directors Yeongduk Kim, Kiwoon Choi, and Yannis Semertzidis gave speeches and had discussions with five researchers from the Royal Society. Professor Frenk commented on the session by saying, “Above all, we were able to take this good opportunity to confirm that the UK and Korean scientists were conducting very similar research.” During the session, discussions on dark matter candidates such as WIMPs (weakly interacting massive particles) and axions offered a powerful stimulus to researchers of the two countries. Sean Paling, Director of the Boulby Underground Laboratory in the UK, said, “I am very interested in the research conducted by the IBS Center for Underground Physics. I hope that we will be able to create a synergy by sharing the latest research outcomes regarding dark matter through international collaborative research and conferences.”

Director Kyungjae Myung of the Center for Genomic Integrity is making a presentation during the genome science session.

The first day of the genome science session was chaired by Robin Lovell-Badge (FRS, Francis Crick Institute) and Kyungjae Myung (IBS Director of the Center for Genomic Integrity), and the second day of the session was chaired by John Skehel (Vice President of the Royal Society) and Director Kyungjae Myung. Jesper Svejstrup (FRS, Francis Crick Institute) and Jin-Soo Kim (IBS Director of the Center for Genome Engineering) were among the speakers of the session. The participants displayed special interest in genome editing, which is being actively discussed in the field of genome science. Researchers asked questions from various points of view, including concerns about the scope of the application of genome editing its side effects, and its social implications. In addition, a lively discussion was conducted regarding gene recovery mechanisms. Sang-Gyu Kim, IBS Research Fellow of the Center for Genome Engineering and the last speaker on the second day of the session, said, “We discussed various topics, including the role of scientists regarding the controversies related to GMOs and their social implications. For example, we shared the awareness that scientists should provide accurate information about crops produced by genome editing.”

During coffee/ tea breaks between sessions, participating researchers freely interacted with one another irrespective of their research fields. Youngim Kim, IBS Research Fellow of the Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research, expressed her experiences by saying, “It was a very pleasant and meaningful time for me because I was able to have conversations with not only researchers from the Royal Society but also researchers from other IBS Centers. I think that through a common interest in science, the researchers of the two countries were able to share their sheer passion for learning and knowledge.”
On the last day of the conference, IBS and the Royal Society agreed to the further promotion of collaboration among the scientists of the two institutions. IBS President Kim said, “We will collect the opinions of all the speaker participants regarding the future direction of cooperation between IBS and the Royal Society.” In response to this, Vice President Cheetham of the Royal Society said, “We will seek ways to enhance interdisciplinary understanding and invigorate convergence research by expanding keynote lectures and plenary sessions.”

Established in 1660 as the first science academy in Europe, the Royal Society aims to promote the development of natural science for the benefit of humanity by discovering useful knowledge about nature and technology. Some of the scientists that played a major role in human history, including Robert Hooke, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein, have been its Fellows. The institution has world-class human resources, which is evidenced by the fact that it has thus far produced over 80 Nobel Laureates. The Royal Society not only supports exchanges among scientists but also conducts a variety of science and cultural activities through communication with the public.