The collaboration between the CNUHH and the Fraunhofer IZI has entered into a new phase. For two years different groups in Leipzig and Hwasun have meanwhile been working together. Now representatives from both sides signed an additional agreement that today allows the opening of a “Joint Laboratory of CNUHH in collaboration with Fraunhofer IZI” (JLCI). This will enable extending collaborations to external partners in academia and industry. The laboratory will be run in accordance with the basic principles of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and share a common basis for handling intellectual property issues and contracts. It will also allow funneling technologies from both sides into research projects.

The JLCI is partially financed through the Global R&D Centers initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the Korean Government. This grant was rewarded to CNUHH for the collaboration of both institutes in June 2011.

“For the Fraunhofer IZI the CNUHH is an ideal partner in many areas like stem cell research, vaccine and cancer therapy development”, says Prof. Emmrich, principal investigator of the grant and director of the Fraunhofer IZI. “We expect that this JLCI will be growing as steadily as our partnership has been growing over the recent years.” Prof. Kim, Hyeoung-Joon, Korean principal investigator of the grant, agrees that “Researchers on both sides have already profited from science transfer through this collaboration. The contract for the JLCI will simplify the exchange of technologies and foster the collaborations with local, Korean and Asian companies achieving in the future a solid financial basis for the JLCI in cooperation with Fraunhofer IZI under the terms of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.”

Global R&D Centers (GRDC)

The GRDC program was established by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology through the National Research Foundation of Korea. The initiative concentrates on the promotion of the international collaborative researches by hosting well established foreign research institutes in Korea. The program started in 2005 and currently there are 21 GRDCs in Korea.

Chonnam National University Hospital Hwasun (CNUHH)

With 700 beds CNUHH is a hospital of Chonnam National University located in suburban area, specialized in cancer and the joint diseases. Accredited by the Joint Commission International, CNUHH pursues to be a specialized hospital with world-class quality care. CNUHH is proud of being the most beautiful, environmentally friendly hospital in Korea with state-of-the art medical services. Recent surveys on patient satisfaction and quality-care assessment have ranked CNUHH at the top in Korea.