University Industry Cooperation Building (UICB) construction was completed on Dec. 30, 2013 and the opening ceremony will be held on April 2. Ewha president Kim Sun-uk and other related people are expected to present at the ceremony.
With the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Ewha and Solvay, the Belgian global chemistry company, Solvay has funded the financial aid to build UICB. It took two years to complete the construction. UICB consists of six floors with a basement, including Solvay Research and Development (R&D) center, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) Western Seoul center, Business Incubator and other facilities.
Solvay R&D center is the first R&D center from a multinational company established in a Korean university. The center will conduct scientific research to secure advanced skills in various chemistry fields.
KBSI center introduces and operates massive expensive experimental machines and simultaneously supports the research conducted in universities or private enterprises. In addition, Professor Lee Sang-gi (Chemistry & Nano Science) will be the director of the KBSI Western Seoul center.
The Business Incubator center, located in the first floor in UICB building, will round up 32 start-ups and provide spaces for their offices with the support of Small and Medium Business Administration. Furthermore, the center will assist start-ups by providing necessary facilities and business consulting by specialists.
With the various centers moving into UICB, Ewha students can benefit from these adoptions. Solvay R&D center will allow graduate students to participate in the research along with the Solvay team and will provide various helpful lectures for the undergraduate students.
According to the Office of University Planning and Coordination, other centers will provide various cooperative programs for Ewha students as well.
“We are expecting that these programs will provide valuable experiences to students,” said Kim Bo-seul, an official from the Office of University Planning and Coordination.