EKC 2022
Junbeum Kim
President of Association des Scientifiques Coréens en France (ASCOF)
Dear EKC 2022 delegates,
On behalf of the Association des Scientifiques Coréens en France (ASCOF), I should like to welcome you to the 14th Europe-Korea Conference on Science and Technology (EKC) in 2022, which will be held in Marseille, France. The EKC 2022 is hosted by ASCOF together with the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) and the eight other Korean Scientists and Engineers Associations in Europe: Germany (VeKNI), The U.K. (KSEAUK), Austria (KOSEAA), Netherland (KOSEANL), Switzerland (KSEAS), Finland (KOSES), Scandinavia (KSSEA), and Belgium (KOSEABe). EKC is an annual conference where scientists, engineers, government officials, industry executives, and policy-makers from Korea and Europe share expertise and ideas and develop networking and collaboration. EKC 2022 in Marseille will continue a tradition that started in 2008 in Heidelberg, followed by Reading (2009), Vienna (2010), Paris (2011), Berlin (2012), Brighton (2013), Vienna (2014), Strasbourg (2015), Berlin (2016), Stockholm (2017), Glasgow (2018) and Vienna (2019). Unfortunately, EKC 2020 (Munich) was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, due to the continuous COVID 19, EKC 2021 was held in three different locations (the U.K., Germany, and France) on different dates.
Korea and Germany, the United Kingdom, and France are among the world’s top ten countries for Gross domestic Expenditure in R&D (GERD). The aim of EKC 2022, as with previous EKC meetings, is to bring together Korean scientists and engineers in Europe and Korea working on new and novel frontiers and helping European scientists and engineers form links with Korean nationals. Therefore, this year’s meeting is being promoted under “Pathways to Sustainability: The Role of Emerging Technologies”
The conference program includes forums, sessions, and workshops to cover broad areas of science and technology, including, but not limited, to science, engineering, technology, entrepreneurship, and science policy, and to deliver a broader view of the role of all those areas for the global society. We look forward to your participation in EKC 2022 and seeing you in Marseille!
Junbeum Kim, Ph.D.
Chair of EKC2022
President of Association des Scientifiques Coréens en France (ASCOF)
Professor, University of Technology of Troyes, France
Woo Il Lee
President of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies
Dear EKC 2022 delegates,
I would like to wholeheartedly welcome scientists and engineers from home and abroad who are joining us at the 2022 Europe-Korea Conference on Science and Technology (EKC 2022). This year's EKC is hosted by Korean Scientists and Engineers Association in France (ASCoF) and jointly organized by nine Korean Scientists and Engineers Associations in Europe. Allow me to express my deepest gratitude to President Kim Jun-beum and members of ASCoF for the excellent arrangement of the EKC 2022.
This year’s EKC is truly meaningful as it is the first face-to-face meeting in three years due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. It brings me great joy to finally meet you in person in Marseille, the largest city for commerce which has the biggest port in the south of France.
The EKC celebrates its 14th anniversary this year. Throughout its history, the EKC has established itself as a leading network of Korean scientists and engineers in Europe, contributing to scientific and technological cooperation and joint development between Korea and Europe. Importantly, France, the venue for the EKC 2022, has maintained strong bonds of friendship with Korea since the two countries forged diplomatic relations in 1886. Korea, which is globally recognized for its applied science, and France, which has achieved a strong government-led growth in basic science, have shared each other's strengths and closely worked together for the development of science and technology.
Distinguished participants,
This year's theme for the EKC is 'Pathways to Sustainability: The Role of Emerging Technologies'. The COVID-19 pandemic is coming to an end, however, digital transformation which lies at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is picking up speed. Emerging technologies such as AI, big data, and robots are fundamentally shifting the paradigm of our daily lives, and they are evolving exponentially in a diverse range of areas.
Since the onset of COVID-19, science and technology’s role for sustainable future growth has become ever more crucial, and international cooperation driven by science and technology has grown in importance to address global challenges. I expect that the EKC, which is being held at this critical moment, will serve as a meaningful occasion to seek a path to make a new leap forward with science and technology, and brace for a sustainable future.
Once again, I would like to extend my appreciation to the dedicated members of ASCoF for successfully organizing today’s event. Please remember that your mother country and KOFST are always with you, and I wish all of you every success and prosperity.
Thank you.
Woo Il Lee
President of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST)