It’s time for cooperation with Russia

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It’s time for cooperation with Russia

Russia has advanced technology in rocket, launchers and manned spacecraft, having launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, and the first human space flight, Vostok 1. Moreover, Russia started world’s first nuclear power plant in 1954 and is the top nuclear power plant construction contract winner. Russia also has a solid foundation in basic science, molecular physics, atomic physics, radio physics, plasma physics, organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry. Until 2015, Russia produced 12 Nobel Prize in Physics winners and three Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners.

Since the foundation of the Korea-Russia Science and Technology Cooperation Center in 1990, there have been forums, seminars, researchers and information exchanges. From the second half of this year, the center plans to expand the operation to commercialization of technologies. Korean tech startups get chances to move into the Russian market, and Russia’s outstanding tech companies can expand to Korea with a hope to seek open innovation of Korean companies. Moreover, the integration and collaboration of technologies of two countries would open opportunities to advance into the third-world technology market.

In Russia, a decrease in domestic R&D and decline of the social status of researchers resulted in reduction of the number of new scientists. The National Research Foundation of Korea is working with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for a strategic cooperation plan, including the Summer Institute for young Korean researchers, to contribute to the development of science and technologies in both countries.

In his third presidential term, Russian President Vladimir Putin has promoted innovation and R&D as well as technology-intensive industries. Moscow also aggressively invests to globalize and enhance the competitiveness of Russian universities. Project 5-100 is an initiative to have five Russian schools be in the top 100 of the world.

Conditions are maturing for Korea and Russia to enhance cooperation in science and technology fields that each country is strong at. If we can expand cooperation in the economic, industrial, science and technological areas, Korea’s creative economy territory can be broadened to Russia, and furthermore, to space.


Cho Moo-je, President of the National Research Foundation
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