LG Electronics and KAIST Join Hands to Establish 'Digital Healthcare Research Center'

Memorandum of Understanding Signed on the 15th
Securing Digital Healthcare-Based Technology and Exploring New Business Opportunities

Park Il-pyeong, President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of LG Electronics (left), and Lee Sang-yeop, Vice President of Research at KAIST, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a memorandum of understanding to establish the "LG Electronics-KAIST Digital Healthcare Research Center."
[Photo by LG Electronics]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] LG Electronics announced on the 15th that it will collaborate with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to advance digital healthcare technologies, which it has positioned as a new growth engine, and to lead the market.

On the same day, a memorandum of understanding was signed at KAIST's main campus in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, to establish the "LG Electronics-KAIST Digital Healthcare Research Center." LG Electronics explained that this agreement was made to develop differentiated personalized health management solutions in line with the trend of shifting perceptions of medical care from treatment to prevention and health management.

LG Electronics plans to jointly carry out various industry-academic projects related to digital healthcare by utilizing KAIST's world-class research personnel and abundant infrastructure. The research center will secure foundational technologies related to digital healthcare, such as digital therapeutics for managing customers' physical and mental health and brain engineering, and will explore new business opportunities. It will also promote convergence with other industries such as smart homes, connected cars, and the metaverse.

The inaugural center director will be Professor Yong Jung, a KAIST professor in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering and leader of the KAIST Health Science Institute. Since his appointment as director of the Health Science Institute in 2016, Professor Jung has been leading the "Doctor M" project at KAIST, which aims to pioneer the smart healthcare field, conducting various studies including personalized health management services and dementia prediction.

Lee Sang-yeop, KAIST Vice President for Research, said, "The KAIST Health Science Institute has led digital healthcare research by integrating various technologies such as bio, ICT, and nano. Through the newly established research center, I hope LG Electronics and KAIST will actively conduct digital healthcare research and become global leaders."

Park Il-pyung, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of LG Electronics, pledged, "Together with KAIST, which has global research competitiveness in medical engineering convergence, we will continue to develop our digital technology leadership and research innovative technologies that will open the future of digital healthcare and discover new business opportunities."