—Creation of Center for Nanomedicine
—Up to 10 Billion Won Pledged for Long-Term Basic Science Research
On April 30, Yonsei signed an MOU with the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) to establish the Yonsei-IBS. The founding mission of IBS is to promote excellence in Korean basic science research; to this end, over the next ten years, IBS has pledged to provide up to 10 billion won in funding and grants for basic science research at Yonsei. The total amount of funding is contingent upon the research achievements made through Yonsei-IBS.
The Yonsei-IBS administration will report directly to Yonsei’s president, which will help to ensure long-term development and innovation. Yonsei-IBS’s first major project is the establishment of the Center for Nanomedicine, which will conduct integrated research in science and medicine. It is expected that the new Yonsei-IBS Building, containing about 3,300m2 of office and research space, will be completed next year.
Professor Chun Jin-woo, an accomplished researcher in the field of nanomedicine, will serve as the director of Yonsei-IBS. According to Professor Chun, Yonsei-IBS “is a step toward a paradigm shift by executing integrated research in biological and life sciences and materials science. ‘Nano’ is a concept which allows for foundational understanding of the signals, controls, and processes of biological phenomena. I plan to propose new possibilities in medicine and science by developing nanomaterials which can be used to observe and control biological phenomena.” In particular, Professor Chun intends to conduct research using nanotechnologies in order to discover diseases and develop treatments for them. This research will be done in collaboration with Severance Hospital.