BISTEP Builds an 'Empathy Bridge' Between Science and Technology Field and Civil Society

Local R&D Empathy Tour Civic Group Meeting Held

Busan Institute of Science and Technology Higher Education Promotion (BISTEP, President Kim Youngbu) announced on June 17 that it held a 'Local R&D Field Empathy Tour Civic Group Meeting' to build consensus on the regional science and technology industry and strengthen cooperation with civil society.

This meeting was organized to expand exchanges between the regional science and technology field and civil society, and to incorporate citizens' voices into BISTEP's field programs.

The event took place at the BISTEP headquarters on May 30. Attendees included President Kim Youngbu, Kim Junghwan, Secretary General of Busan YWCA, Oh Moonbeom, Secretary General of Busan YMCA, Byun Jaewoo, Executive Chair of Busan Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, and Park Jaeyul, Executive Representative of Busan Citizens' Coalition for Decentralization and Balanced Development, along with other key local civic group representatives.

On this day, participants shared the achievements of the Local R&D Empathy Tour conducted in the first half of the year and discussed ways to improve the program. The tour consisted of the 1st visit to the Hydrogen Ship Technology Center at Pusan National University and the 2nd visit to the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology. Based on the experiences of citizen participants, proposals were made to expand the target audience to include youth and university students, and to broaden participation to regional specialized technology institutions and startups.

There was also discussion on the direction of BISTEP's social contribution activities. Civic groups expressed the opinion that BISTEP should leverage its unique expertise in science and technology to provide educational programs in collaboration with youth organizations or women's workforce development centers, agreeing on the need to expand practical social contributions.

Kim Youngbu, President of BISTEP, stated, "This meeting was a meaningful time to lay the foundation for trust and communication between civil society and regional science and technology policy," and added, "We will continue to implement effective programs to promote science and technology administration in partnership with citizens."

BISTEP is a planning and coordination agency for science and technology-based regional innovation in Busan. It has been consistently promoting field-oriented communication projects such as publishing the Bi-weekly Brief for policymakers, empathy tours, and citizen participation programs.

Busan Institute of Science and Technology Higher Education Promotion is holding a 'Local R&D Field Empathy Tour Civic Group Meeting' to build consensus on the regional science and technology industry and strengthen cooperation with civil society, and is taking a commemorative photo.