Korea-Spain Cooperation in Advanced Bio and Supercomputing Technologies 추진

Korea and Spain Resume Science and Technology Joint Committee After 8 Years
Continuous and Practical Cooperation Anticipated

South Korea and Spain will promote cooperation in four areas: advanced bio, artificial intelligence (AI), supercomputing, and smart farm-based natural material technology development.

Spain, ranked first in Europe and fourth worldwide in conducting clinical trials, possesses extensive clinical trial experience and a patient network. Attention is focused on whether cooperation can accelerate the development of next-generation innovative therapeutics.

Hwang Seong-hoon, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Teresa Riego Alcaide, Deputy Minister of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, are shaking hands at the 2nd Korea-Spain Joint Committee on Science and Technology held in Barcelona on the 4th (local time). Photo by the Ministry of Science and ICT

On the 4th (local time), a delegation of 15 representatives from both countries, including Hwang Seong-hoon, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Teresa Riego Alcaide, Deputy Secretary of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, held the 2nd Korea-Spain Joint Committee on Science and Technology in Barcelona.

The Korea-Spain Joint Committee on Science and Technology is a consultative body held under the Science and Technology Agreement concluded in 1976 and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Science and Technology Cooperation signed in 2015. The 1st Joint Committee was held in Madrid in 2017, and this 2nd Joint Committee was held in Barcelona after eight years.

The 2nd Joint Committee was attended by Director Hwang Seong-hoon as the chief representative, along with officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). From Spain, Eva Ortega Pino, Deputy Secretary, served as the chief representative, with participants from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spanish national research institutions, the National Research Council, and the Carlos III National Health Institute.

In the advanced bio field, both countries proposed sharing bio policies and promoting joint research. In AI, they introduced their AI strategies and discussed cooperation to establish global AI governance. In supercomputing, KISTI discussed promoting cooperation with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

Additionally, KIST and Spain’s Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville (IRNAS) explored joint research for sustainable green bio development.

Director Hwang Seong-hoon expressed hope that "the discussions at this Joint Committee will overcome the eight-year hiatus and lead to tangible results, with continued cooperation between Korea and Spain."