A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on April 16 by Yongmin Kim, the president of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and Byung-Hee Oh, the CEO and president of Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH).
The partnership of these two institutions has attracted much attention as it is the first ever MoU of SNUH, affiliated with a university of its own, signed with a university. It is an open innovation initiative of POSTECH and SNUH to create synergy by combining their respective strengths - POSTECH's research capacity in life sciences and engineering related fields with SNUH's competence in biomedical science.
SNUH in particular expressed strong interest in POSTECH's cutting-edge technologies including 3D printing based biomedical applications (Prof. Dong-Woo Cho, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering), Photoacoustic Tomography (Prof. Chulhong Kim, Department of Creative IT Engineering), and biomaterials for nanomedicine (Prof. Sei Kwang Hahn, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering).
"We believe that this is a win-win opportunity for both. The partnership with SNUH will enrich POSTECH's clinical research," commented Jong Moon Park, Executive Director of POSTECH Research and Business Development Foundation.
The MoU is intended to provide institutional support for collaborative, convergent research efforts in biomedical engineering and healthcare R&D. POSTECH and SNUH have agreed for development of translational research programs, exchange of publications and research information, access to each other's research facilities, and opening joint seminars and conferences. A steering committee will be set up to accelerate collaborative efforts and explore further cooperation opportunities.
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