GIST was selected as the Southwestern Region Laboratory Start-up Innovation Group for ‘2020 Public Technology Based Start-up Exploration in Connection with Market Support Project.’ The Laboratory Startup Innovation Group was established to create decent jobs by supporting laboratory start-up centering on young researchers at laboratories with the need to need the contribution of public research outcomes to economy as a result of continuous government R&D budget increases. GIST Laboratory Start-up Innovation Group is planning to develop a virtuous cycle of discovering and supporting prospective laboratory start-up teams through the cooperative relationship with other universities in southwestern Korea and to lead them to create actual start-ups in connection with various start-up support programs.

GIST held ‘2020 Start-up Idea Contest’ to lead the 4th Industrial Revolution, discover excellent start-up technology, and spread the start-up culture. Start-up ideas were received from total 35 teams, 17 business needs were selected through document review, and four final contending teams were selected on June 3, which was followed by a presentation evaluation. The grand prize went to the ‘Urine Glucose and Uric Acid Sensor Not Requiring Measuring Equipment’ by the team of Hyeong-joon Jang and Ho-yeon Lee, who are both chemistry majors. The runner-up prize went to the ‘Electric Motor Total Solution’ by Jae-joon Lee, who is a mechanical engineering major. The first participation prize went to the ‘Development of FMCW 4D LiDAR with High Penetration Ratio under Poor Environment’ by Min-jae Jo, who is a mechanical engineering major, and the second participation prize went to the ‘High-performance Electrode for High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell’ by Hyeon-seung Jeong from the Institute of Integrated Technology.

GIST appointed former head of Gwangsan-gu Corporate Doctor Center as the Vice President for Public Affairs on Wednesday July 1. The tenure for the Vice President for Public Affairs is two years, and Kim will be responsible for overall public affairs of GIST such as the affairs of Technology Management Academy, Development Foundation, and overseas exchange. Previously, Kim had held various posts, such as the Public Relations Team Manager and Head of Education Bureau of Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development in 2003, the Head of Gwangju Cluster Steering Group of Korea Industrial Complex Corporation in 2005, and Special Civilian Advisor to Gwangju City Hall in 2013. Kim has been regarded as the person who has persistently contributed to democracy in Korea, balanced regional development, civil society, human rights improvement, and local economic development while working for central and local governments, political parties, media, and public corporations for over 30 years including his service as a researcher of Jeollanam-do Industrial Society Research Institute in 1988.

Byeong-jin Kim of GIST (a senior electrical Eengineering and computer science major) advanced to the final stage, Top 10, of ‘2020 FameLab Korea,’ which is the world’s largest science communicator discovery project hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and co-organized by the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity (KOFAC) and the British Council. The ten finalists will be appointed as the science communicator by MSIT and KOFAC and given a chance to communicate with the public about science, and they will become members of the International FameLab Network. Science communicators will be offering Dadeul Baeum, which visits middle and high school students to give them science lectures, science busking, which is a street or a stage performance comprising scientific experiments, and science performances targeting adult audiences, while treated as experts on the similar level as teaching assistants.

GIST is supporting young doctors of science and engineering to develop a GIST-company network through collaborative research with companies to overcome regional economic crisis caused by the recent COVID-19 situation. The project introduces a support structure where young science and engineering Ph.D.'s can directly propose and carry out research projects, and it will ensure the independence of young Ph.D.'s research by limiting the role of GIST faculty and researchers as assistants so that they can grow into independent researchers. The ‘GIST Young Scientist Pilot Project’ is a two-year long project, from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022, and a total of 800 million won will be provided to four new researchers selected during the project period.

GIST established an antivirus research center to actively respond to a new virus that causes infections and held an opening ceremony at GIST’s Oryong Hall on Tuesday, June 9. The center's main research scope is to develop and research protection against infectious viruses, the diagnosis of such viruses, and the development of vaccines and cures. It will also systematically study the infection-causing virus’s life cycle. The center intends to build antivirus research models and develop responsive technologies through combined and strategic researches on various problems caused by new viruses. The center has formed a consultative organization of experts in various fields for multidisciplinary research on the fight against viruses.

School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering Professor In S. Kim (Vice President for R&D) has been appointed as a new deliberation council member of the Presidential Advisory Council for Science and Technology on June 27. The Presidential Advisory Council for Science and Technology is a constitutional organization under the direct management of the president installed to lead the innovation of Korea’s science and technology and is composed of the Advisory Council and Deliberation Council. Particularly, the Deliberation Council is the top deliberation agency in the science and technology field pursuant to the ‘Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology Act’ and comprises the Chair (president) and Vice Chair, nine civilian experts centering on professors of science and technology, and the Ministers of five relevant ministries, and special Advisor to President for Science and Technology (secretary). The council is responsible for final deliberation of science and technology policies and budgets.