National Science Museum. Provided by Wikimedia.
■ The National Science Museum announced on January 29 that it will hold the ‘1,000 Won Science Challenge’ idea contest from January 29 to March 13. The contest challenges participants to demonstrate basic science principles from elementary, middle, and high school textbooks using materials costing 1,000 KRW or less. The competition is divided into a youth division (elementary, middle, and high school students and those of the same age) and a general division (adults 19 and older). Participants must submit a link to a demonstration video of one minute or less, specifying the textbook unit and principle, along with a receipt for materials under 1,000 KRW. The material cost is considered 0 KRW if household waste recyclables are used. Twenty selected works, chosen through expert evaluation, will be exhibited at the ‘Science Day’ event in April. The final winners will be selected by combining visitor votes (50%) and expert evaluation (50%). Prizes worth a total of 4.6 million KRW will be awarded, including a smartwatch for the grand prize winner. Detailed participation methods can be found on the National Science Museum website (science.go.kr).
■ The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) announced on January 29 that it will hold the ‘468th Science and Technology Policy Forum’ on February 6 at 3 p.m. at the Seoul Film Center Screening Hall 1. The theme is ‘Meeting K-Space Development Through Books: Researchers, Citizens, and Policy.’ The forum will begin with opening remarks by STEPI President Yoon Ji-woong and a congratulatory address by Kwon Hyun-joon, Director-General of the Space and Aeronautics Policy Bureau at the Korea AeroSpace Administration. The event will proceed with a special screening of the documentary ‘Stars of the Himalayas,’ a keynote presentation by Ahn Hyung-joon, head of the Public Space Team, and a talk concert. The talk concert will feature Choi Eun-jung, Head of the Space Risk Monitoring Center, and Chung Min-sub, Principal Researcher from the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI); Lim Jong-bin, Head of the Strategic Planning Division at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI); and Professor Choi Byeong-gak of Seoul National University as panelists, who will engage in a dialogue with citizens through their respective books. An event will also be held to give away 20 books authored by the panelists to randomly selected attendees. For more details, including registration, please visit the STEPI website (stepi.re.kr) or call 044-287-2046.
■ The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) announced on January 29 the publication of “Connected KRICT: ‘Connecting with Technology, Growing with Innovation,’” a collection of best practices from its ‘KRICT Stepping Stone Project (Corporate R&D Center Incubation Program),’ marking the 10th anniversary since its first incubated company in 2016. The collection features the growth stories of six domestic companies that have achieved technology internalization and localization in fields such as carbon-neutral CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization), water treatment materials, secondary battery and energy materials, carbon and environmental materials, semiconductor and cooling materials, and paint and dispersant technology. The featured companies are Booheung Industry, Siontech, Jungseok Chemical, Smart Korea, Pureman, and Shinyang TIC. Graduates of the Stepping Stone Project have achieved significant commercialization results, including the promotion of 43 product types, 38.8 billion KRW in product sales, the hiring of 282 R&D personnel, 128 patents, 66 technology transfers from KRICT, and 58.8 billion KRW in investment attraction. The collection is distributed for free and can be obtained by contacting the KRICT Technology Commercialization Center’s Corporate Cooperation Team (042-860-7155) or by visiting the published books menu on the KRICT website.
■ The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) announced that Dr. Lee Myeong-soo, a principal researcher in the KM Science Research Division, has been appointed as a member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) newly established Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM STAG) through December 2025. The WHO STAG is the highest-level official advisory body that counsels the WHO on global strategic directions, research priorities, international norms and standards, and integration into health systems for TCIM. The STAG consists of 19 independent experts from around the world selected through an open international call. Dr. Lee, who has conducted research focusing on evidence-building and international cooperation in Korean medicine at KIOM for about 20 years, was appointed as the sole representative from Korea. For the next two years, he will serve as a STAG member, providing strategic and technical advice to the WHO on evidence generation, norm and standard development, and integration strategies for traditional medicine within healthcare systems.
■ Private space launch vehicle company Innospace announced on January 29 that it has signed a contract with Hyundai Motor Group to supply ‘INNO AM-X,’ an integrated additive manufacturing (3D printing) control solution developed with its own technology. ‘INNO AM-X’ is a solution that integrates and manages data related to equipment status, process conditions, and quality that arise throughout the metal 3D printing process under a single control system. It collects and visualizes data generated during manufacturing in real-time, enhancing visibility on the manufacturing floor and supporting data-driven decision-making. This contract is a case of applying additive manufacturing process management technology, accumulated to ensure the quality and reliability of space launch vehicle engines and key components, to the automotive industry. It marks the first commercialization success of expanding high-precision, high-reliability additive manufacturing technology proven in the aerospace manufacturing field to other industries. With this contract, Innospace plans to explore the expansion of its business portfolio to high-reliability manufacturing industries such as automotive, defense, and energy.
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