Western University has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) at a special ceremony to launch Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research @ UNIST.
The agreement establishes, and will make use of, an important global network of scientists and material engineers investigating fuel conservation for the automotive industry by producing lighter vehicles.
Located in the heart of South Korea’s largest industrial city, Ulsan, UNIST has become one of the world’s leading science and technology universities since its inception in 2009. The institution aims to be among the top 10 science and technology universities in the world by 2030.
Western already enjoys a strong relationship with Germany-based Fraunhofer ICT, Europe’s largest application-oriented research organization, as London is home to its own Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research.
The world-class facility develops, tests, validates and characterizes new lightweight materials and advanced manufacturing processes at an industrial scale. By combining Fraunhofer’s latest global technologies and Western’s strengths in materials engineering, the Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research @ Western addresses needs of its industry partners.
Western Provost & Vice-President (Academic) Andrew Hrymak visited UNIST to sign the memorandum on behalf of the Werstern; and participated in the official opening.
Hrymak – an expert in the fields of polymer and materials processing, computational fluid dynamics, and process design and simulation – also serves as the Deputy Director of the Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research @ Western.
Western Vice-President (Research) John Capone and Western Vice-Provost (International) Julie McMullin also attended the elebration.
“This memorandum truly establishes our relationship with UNIST. We are excited to explore everything that is possible including student exchanges and research collaborations,” says Hrymak.
“Our relationship with KIT is more mature, building on our ongoing Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research @ Western and Fraunhofer ICT collaborations. Western enjoys many graduate student exchanges as part of our affiliation with KIT, which includes a number of excellent graduate students coming to Western too.”
