A joint R&D Center (KMU-UTD InFUSION Center) of Self-assembly Material Process Center of Kookmin University that was promoted as part of inducing an excellent foreign R&D center by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (Minister Mun-gi Choi) and InFUSION of the University of Texas at Dallas, the U.S. that is the world’s best research institute specialized in multifunctional flexible device will be opened in Kookmin University. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and Kookmin University (President Ji-soo Yu) held the opening ceremony of a joint R&D Center of the Self-assembly Material Process Center of Kookmin University (director: Jae-gab Yo) and UTD InFUSION in the U.S. (director: Bruce Gnade) at 11 a.m. on the 4th (Tue.) in the Academic Conference Hall. Also, an international workshop on multifunctional flexible device is held on the 5th and 6th (Wed, Thur.) in the El Tower Convention Center located in Yangjae-dong.

Through the establishment of the KMU-UTD InFUSION Center, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning plans to help the Self-assembly Material Process Center of Kookmin University to secure in advance the high-tech original technology related to multifunctional flexible device while cultivating the KMU-UTD InFUSION Center as a world-class research institution specialized in multifunctional flexible device by 2019 by expanding the cooperation with the UTD InFUSION. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning also plans to cultivate it as the hub of high-tech multifunctional flexible device in Northeast Asia while leading the qualitative advancement of device technology in Korea.

For the past 10 years, Kookmin University and UTD have prompted keen cooperative joint research based on mutual trust and during the same period, three professors of Kookmin University visited and stayed in UTD for a long period of time to conduct joint research with the professors belonging to the InFUSION Center and produced a lot of research outcomes.

Meanwhile from the 5th, which is the day following the opening ceremony, an international workshop on multifunctional flexible device of KMU-UTD is held for two days.

The multifunctional flexible device is a creative device technology that allows for the utilization of human-friendly future smart device by innovatively enhancing the integration and economic feasibility of device function while overcoming the limits of existing devices and realizing multifunction aspect within a single device.

In the workshop, five experts belonging to the UTD InFUSION provided 2-3 hours of in-depth presentation, and it is expected to expand the base of the domestic research on multifunctional flexible device and upgrade the technical level of the related areas.

Director Jae-Gab Yi who is the center director of Kookmin University and is responsible for inducing an excellent foreign R&D center emphasized, “The significance of multifunctional flexible device can be found in its function to realize human-friendly future smart device as original technology” and reveals, “With the opening of the joint R&D Center, we will contribute to the creation of a new market based on technical connection with local and overseas businesses as well as excellent research achievement and industrialization competence of the UTD InFUSION Center.”
 
‘The project to induce an excellent foreign R&D center’ started in 2005 to secure original technology and construct the infrastructure for global R&D hub by forming a joint R&D center, which enables core science technology of advanced countries and excellent foreign research resources, into Korea. Currently, 25 joint R&D centers are operated in Korea including 9 excellent research organizations from the U.S., Japan, Germany, England, France, Russia, Sweden, Australia, and Finland.

The Self-assembly Material Process Center of Kookmin University was first established in 2005 with the support by the Ministry of Science and Technology at that time and based on the world-renowned research achievement in the field of self-assembly/self-control flexible device, basic research and device development are being progressed. Also, it promoted international cooperation and various activities with advanced overseas organizations including UTD InFUSION in the U.S.