IIASA enhances collaboration with Korea and Malaysia

Republic of Korea: 27 June – 3 July 2014

The Republic of Korea’s (Korea) membership of IIASA began in 2008 and has resulted in a range of research collaborations and capacity building activities between IIASA and almost 20 Korean research partners. Facilitating many of these joint studies is the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) which is the National Member Organization representing Korean membership of IIASA. As part of Professor Kabat’s official visit, IIASA’s Director General met with the President of NRF, Professor Min Keung Chung, and discussed ways to build on current collaborations.

New initiatives include:

• A Memorandum of Understanding between IIASA and the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) which was signed by Professor Kabat and STEPI’s President, Professor Jong-Guk Song on 1 July. The agreement launches a new collaborationinto using agent based modeling to explore the resilience of Korea to a range of extreme events. (See press coverage)
• A second Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Professor Heeyoung Song, President of Konkuk University on 2 July to further develop a Korean version of IIASA’s GAINS modelin order to help policymakers in Korea investigate synergies between measures that reduce air pollution and that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. (See press coverage)
• A meeting with Mr Jung Moo Lee, President of the Korea Water Forum and Chairman of the National Committee for the 7^th World Water Forum agreed that IIASA and its Water and Futures Solutions flagship initiative would play a leading role at the opening session of the 7^th World Water Forum in Daegu, Gyeongbuk in 2015.
  

Discussions also took place to:

• Strengthen collaborations with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) on green growth with KAIST’s Professor Jae-Kyu Lee.
• Broaden collaborations with Korean institutions through Professor Joon Sik Lee, Executive Vice President for Research at Seoul National University, who has been a member of IIASA’s Science Advisory Committee since 2011.
• Collaborate with AFoCo, an organization that ensures forest cooperation between Korea and the ten member states of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), on IIASA’s Tropical Flagship Initiative. The meeting with AFoCo Executive Director, Hadi Pasaribu, agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with IIASA during Professor Kabat’s next visit to Korea in October.

Malaysia: 3-7 July 2014

Malaysia’s membership of IIASA started in 2011 with the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) serving as the Malaysian National Member Organization for IIASA and representing Malaysia’s scholarly community. During his visit, Professor Kabat took part in a national debate on Malaysia’s water future which was co-organized by ASM, IIASA and the New Straits Times. 

Water management is one of the global problem areas that IIASA and Malaysia wish to strengthen collaborations. Meetings between Professor Kabat and ASM President, Tan Sri Datuk Dr Ahmad Tajuddin Ali; and subsequently with Datuk Seri Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia also identified IIASA’s Tropical Flagship Initiative, postdoctoral program, and global think tank as well as the Water Futures and Solutions initiative as fields in which to intensify IIASA-Malaysian collaborations.

Last edited: 22 July 2014