Ewha Selected by Korea Institute for Basic Science, Designated to Receive 10 Billion KRW Annually for 10 Years

On October 8 (Monday), Ewha Womans University was selected as an ‘Institute for Basic Science’ by the Korea Institute for Basic Science.

The Korea Institute for Basic Science (IBS) is a research organization established to develop knowledge and fundamental technology through world-class basic science research. It offers research funds of up to 10 billion KRW (approximately 9 million USD) per year for ten years to fifty Institutes for Basic Science, including Ewha, campus research organizations, and outside research organizations. The financial support is designed to stimulate the production of creative knowledge and fundamental technologies through world leading research.

The institute initially selected ten research directors and later selected seven additional directors, including Dr. Gabriel Aeppli, who will lead Ewha’s research efforts. The seven directors, including three foreign scholars, are leading international researchers in the fields of basic sciences such as physics, life, and chemistry. Professor Aeppli is the fellow of the Royal Society and renowned expert in nanotechnology and physics.

IBS’s research endeavors, which will be based at Ewha, include plans to establish the Seoul Institute for Atomic Scale Science and Engineering (SIASSE) under the initiative of Professor Gabriel Aeppli. The center will focus on the development of artificial intelligence systems through incorporating studies from various fields such as Electronics, Biotechnology, and Biological Systems.

Ewha is benefiting from its established strength in science fields: its designation as an Institute for Basic Science comes after an agreement signed in May 2011 to collaborate with Solvay, an international chemical corporation, and an invitation to the Korea Basic Science Institute’s Seoul Western Center to study and develop technologies of NBPT in April 2012.