KAIST signed a Student Exchange Agreement with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) on October 19, extending its existing Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement with its partner university. The accord between these two institutions now includes a dual degree program, an exchange program for students, researchers, and faculty members alike, and opportunities for joint lectures and research.

     The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Won-ho Choi, the Director- General of the International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning, at BME on October 18, a day after the eighth meeting of the Hungarian-Korean Intergovernmental Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation, during which further cooperation between the brightest minds of the two countries was discussed. The meeting also coincided with the 43rd seminar held by the Hungarian- Korean Technical Cooperation Center Foundation (HKTCC), which was founded in 1992 by the two governments for collaboration on the scientific frontier, on the topic “Technical Innovation – Importance of Start-Up Companies”.

     Key Korean figures such as HKTCC Chairman Hak-Min Kim, KAIST Associate Vice President of the International Office Sung-Hyon Myaeng, KAIST Dean of College of Engineering Jeong-Guon Ih, and K-School Professor Steve Ahn attended the seminar to discuss the two nations’ strategies for fostering innovation. Discussions with Hungarian representatives, such as HKTCC Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Hungarian Academy of Engineering Ginsztler János and Rector János Jósza of BME, on future methods of cooperation were also held.

     Associate Vice President Myaeng stated, “We expect our partnership to become the perfect synergy between the complementary strengths of our two institutions: KAIST’s excellence in applied sciences and BME’s brilliance in pure sciences.” BME is one of Hungary’s most prestigious research universities — it has seen three Nobel Prize laureates — and is also known for its diverse student population and English-taught academic program.

     He also added, “Establishing a network for the talented scientists of the future with a student exchange program will open up new opportunities for cooperation, such as collaborative work through joint research projects sponsored by the European Union.”