State-run institutes, universities may merge
By Na Jeong-ju
The government is considering combining KAIST and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), both located in Daejeon, to create synergy in the research of new technologies, officials said Wednesday.
It’s also seeking to unify the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and the Korea Maritime University in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province once the former relocates to Busan in 2016.
Education, Science and Technology Minister Lee Ju-ho will report such plans to President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae this week, the officials said.
The idea of merging the state-run institutes and universities to ensure efficiency in research activities and save costs has been raised repeatedly.
However, the institutes, which are much smaller than the schools, have protested the proposal, saying the combination effectively means that they would be absorbed into the schools.
According to KRIBB officials, when KAIST was created in 1981 through the merger of the Korea Institute of Science Technology (KIST) and the bigger Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS), many KIST employees were discriminated against in promotions and lost jobs due to a downsizing plan afterwards.
KORDI officials are also concerned about possible disadvantages should it merge with the state-run maritime university.
The ministry said it will reflect opinions from the institutes and universities concerned carefully to ensure thorough preparations and address complaints about the mergers. The proposed mergers are part of the government’s long-term policy roadmap aimed at enhancing overall competitiveness in science.
“There is a need to promote cooperation between universities and institutes as well as spur interaction between science and education. It’s all about creating synergy for the advancement of science and technology,” a ministry spokesman said.
“Minister Lee will stress such points when he meets with the President this week.”