Korea University’s OJERI Signs Agreement with International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
The OJEong Resilience Institute (OJERI; Director: Lee Woo-gyun, Professor of the Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering) signed an agreement with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIAS; Director: Hans Joachim Schellnhuber) at IIASA in Laxenburg, Austria on April 17.
This agreement was signed in order to advance the international activities of OJERI, the autonomous basic science research institute of KU, as part of an ongoing project supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, “The ecosystem material cycle in response to the environmental and climate crises.” Based on this agreement, the two institutes plan to conduct joint research focusing on the material cycle in forest and agricultural ecosystems and in relation to disasters caused by climate change, as well as various factors that disturb ecosystems.
This agreement also includes provisions related to the establishment and sustainable development of resilience in mid-latitude regions including the Korean Peninsula and Europe (the New European Bauhaus project), by simultaneously strengthening scientific competencies and pursuing academic research that makes a social contribution. The two institutes agreed to pursue an in-depth cooperative relationship by comprehensively partnering in research, through mechanisms such as exchanging researchers and identifying international research topics.
Lee Woo-gyun, Director of OJERI, said, “Through strong cooperation with IIASA, one of the world’s best environmental research institutes, OJERI will be able to develop into an international level research institute in the field of environmental ecology in the future,” and he emphasized the social contribution academic research can make in the response to the environmental and climate crises, which are recognized as common global problems.
Dr. Florian Kraxner (Agriculture, Forestry, and Ecosystem Services, AFE), who will directly participate in joint research on the part of the two institutes, expressed his ambitions for the effective joint research projects based on this agreement, saying, “We will pursue scientific research together with OJERI to resolve various social and policy problems arising from climate change in the mid-latitude region that connects the Korean Peninsula and Europe.”
OJERI has had a cooperative relationship with IIASA since 2014 and has formed a network of experts in the mid-latitude region. Through this agreement, more comprehensive research exchanges are expected to take place between the two institutes. For example, a joint session was successfully held at the European Geoscience Union (EGU) in 2024. In this way, both institutes are expected to conduct scientific research to resolve social problems caused by the environmental and climate crises.