■Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said it held a signing ceremony at 11 a.m. on the 23rd at the Daejeon KAIST main campus for an agreement on the establishment and operation of an open quantum fab. The agreement is a follow-up measure to kick-start the construction of the quantum fab alongside the exhibition. The "KAIST Open Quantum Fab" will be the nation's largest open cleanroom fab facility dedicated to quantum devices, and will be built on a site near the KAIST main campus Future Convergence Microdevice Building, with one basement level and three above-ground floors. More than 45 billion won will be invested through 2031, including 23.4 billion won in national funds, 20 billion won from Daejeon city, and 1.62 billion won from KAIST's own budget.
■The Ministry of Science and ICT held a briefing session on the 23rd at the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) for a site solicitation to build advanced fusion research infrastructure. For efficiency in project implementation, a single site (an integrated cluster) will be selected for the project. Based on the site selection process, the project is scheduled to proceed in earnest starting in 2027 after a preliminary feasibility study (to be submitted in December), and depending on the results of the preliminary feasibility study, whether to proceed, the budget, and the project period may change. The procedure will consist of a project briefing, a prior practical on-site survey, and evaluation and presentations of site attraction plans.
■The Ministry of Science and ICT said on the 23rd it held the first general committee meeting of the "Clean Hydrogen R&D Innovation Alliance." The innovation alliance is a public-private consultative body with 93 corporations and institutions participating, and about 20 people attended this general committee meeting to discuss full-cycle cooperation plans for clean hydrogen technology development. Accordingly, the ministry will invest 119 billion won from this year through 2029 in priority research labs across five core fields, focus on scaling up systems, and establish performance verification and evaluation systems for core materials and parts for water electrolysis to support technology demonstration.
■KAIST will host "OPEN KAIST 2025," an event that opens campus research labs and research centers to the public, for two days starting on the 30th at its Daejeon main campus. Open KAIST is a biennial research open-house organized by the KAIST College of Engineering, allowing citizens to experience research sites firsthand and get closer to science. This year, 16 departments and the KAIST Space Research Institute will participate, operating 39 programs across five areas: hands-on experiences and demonstrations, lab tours, lectures, department introductions, and achievement exhibitions. Detailed schedules and programs are available on the website (https://openkaist.ac.kr).
■The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) and Sungkyunkwan University said on the 22nd they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the Ilsan headquarters to establish a system for research and development in construction technology and for talent cultivation. The agreement was pursued to organically link the research and development personnel and infrastructure held by both institutions to strengthen research capabilities in construction technology and lay the groundwork for training science and technology talent at a global level. Through this agreement, the two institutions plan to expand practical cooperation in various fields, including enhancing research and development capabilities in construction and related fields, organizing and implementing academia–research cooperation programs, and promoting convergence research and academic information exchange.
■The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), together with the University of Science and Technology (UST), will hold the "2nd STEPI-UST Joint Forum and Young Innovators Talk" at 10 a.m. on the 30th at the conference hall on the first floor of the UST dormitory. The event will be held under the theme "Lab-to-Earth: Public technologies from the lab, Climate Tech innovations for the planet." For details, visit the Science and Technology Policy Institute website (http://www.stepi.re.kr) and the UST website (http://ust.ac.kr). On-site attendance is available through pre-registration.
■Kim Hyeong-seop, a professor at the Graduate Institute of Ferrous and Eco Materials Technology and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH, was elected the 56th president of the Korean Institute of Metals and Materials, representing the domestic metals and materials field. The term runs for one year starting in Jan. 2026. Kim said, "2026 is a historic year marking the 80th anniversary of the institute," and added, "Based on active communication with members, we will strengthen the industry–academia–research cooperation ecosystem and expand international exchanges to build a society where the next generation of researchers can grow together." Kim also noted, "The institute will play a central role so that Korea's materials industry can secure global competitiveness."