Korea–EU Research Center (KERC) Opens Horizon Europe Researcher Networking Forum on Energy and Advanced Mobility
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Researchers from 19 countries, including Korea and European countries, gather to discuss participation in Horizon Europe joint research projects in the fields of energy and advanced mobility.
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A reception marking the signing of Korea’s Horizon Europe Association is co-hosted with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Belgium and the European Union, and the European Commission.
The Korea–EU Research Centre (KERC, Director-General Dae Myung Lee) officially opened the Korea–EU Horizon Europe Researcher Networking Forum on Energy and Advanced Mobility on October 14 in Brussels, the heart of European research collaboration. The event aims to expand participation of Korean researchers in Horizon Europe.
Researchers from 19 countries — including Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Austria, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Slovenia, Poland, and Belgium — gathered for the forum. Around 80 participants are engaging in discussions to share their research topics, explore consortium-building opportunities, and identify concrete collaboration strategies for joint Horizon Europe projects in the fields of energy and advanced mobility.
This marks the fourth and fifth networking forum since Korea’s official participation as an associated country of Horizon Europe on January 1, 2025, following earlier forums on artificial intelligence (April 1–4), quantum science and technology (April 9–11), and advanced biotechnology (July 1–3).
A Korea–EU Horizon Europe Networking Reception was held alongside the opening ceremony, attended by Ambassador Jeonghyun Ryu of the Korean Embassy to Belgium and the European Union, Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission, and approximately 100 distinguished guests. Participants celebrated Korea’s signing of the Horizon Europe Association on July 17, 2025, which made Korea the first Asian country to become an official associated country to the program.
Attendees congratulated Korea on the milestone, acknowledged contributors to the successful association process, and discussed future pathways for deepening Korea–EU joint research cooperation. Professor Myungshik Kim of Imperial College London, a leading scholar in quantum science and technology, delivered a special keynote speech titled “A first step for EU-Korea Science Partnership” adding significance to the event.
A KERC representative stated, “Through the Horizon Europe researcher networking forums, we have observed growing interest among European researchers to collaborate substantively with their Korean counterparts across diverse cutting-edge scientific fields. We expect these initiatives to create a new momentum for Korea–EU joint research and contribute to the expansion of global research networks.”
The next Korea–EU Horizon Europe Researcher Networking Forum will be held at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom from December 1–2, 2025, focusing on biodiversity and food systems.
