GIST gears up to become ‘hub’ of the world’s seawater desalination industry

-On April 3^rd, GIST holds opening ceremony of ‘Global Desalination Research Center’ attended by the Ministry of Land
- to follow up on the achievement of the Seawater Desalination Plant Project  and serve as the pillar of overseas market expansion
- attended by over 200 people including Major of Gwangju, Chairman of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee of the National Assembly and officials of academia and business community

 

 

 

(The bird’s eye view of the seawater desalination verification facility slated for completion this year in Kijang-gun, Busan, Korea)

 

□ As a follow-up project to the Seawater Desalination Plant Project where 180 billion won was invested over the past seven years, the Global Desalination Research Center (GDRC) will be inaugurated at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, President ž Young Joon Kim) and lead desalination technology R&D and the development of related industries.

 

* The Center for Seawater Desalination Plant was launched by Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (under the supervision of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) in 2006 as a large-scale R&D project where 180 billion won was invested including 92.6 billion won of the government’s R&D budget. Over the past seven years, the Center has pushed ahead with the development of state-of-the-art desalination technologies by successfully carrying out government-funded research activities. Domestic companies engaged in the project such as Doosan Heavy Industries also started to export desalination technologies (10 cases). The construction of a 45,000-ton verification facility is scheduled for completion before the end of this year (located in Kijang county, Busan) and this project will officially end in August.

 

○ The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Minister Suh Seung-hwan) will hold the opening ceremony of the Global Desalination Research Center to be attended by over 200 guests and researchers at Haerim Hall of GIST on April 3^rd (1:30 pm).

 

○ The opening ceremony will be joined by President Kim Young-jun of GIST, Busan Mayor Kang Un-tae, Chairman Ju Seung-yong of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee of the National Assembly, Director Lee Jae-boong of Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, Vice President Han Kyoung-cheon of Korea Water Resources Corporation, Head of the Gwangju Branch of the ruling Saenuri Party, the chiefs of academic societies and associations relating to water, environment and plant and officials from the business community such as executives from Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction and Hyundai Engineering & Construction.

 

□ GIST has led the Seawater Desalination Plant Project over the past seven years, and the Center for Seawater Desalination Plant (Director: Professor In S. Kim of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering) has been stationed at GIST’s campus. Again, GIST will be the managing institute of ‘the Global Desalination Research Center’ scheduled to open.

 

○ In recognition of the successful management of the Seawater Desalination Plant Project, GIST came in 7^th in the global water research institutes rankings by Lux Research, a global market research agency.

 

□ The Global Desalination Research Center was established in order to build upon the excellent achievements by the Center for Seawater Desalination Plant which is slated to end operation in August this year and to secure convergence & generic technologies, thereby leading the sea water desalination industry of the world. In addition, it will further consolidate the international network fostered by the Center for Seawater Desalination Plant and pursue to become the hub of desalination technology at home and abroad.

 

○ To that end, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement will invest 3.5 billion won in the Global Desalination Research Center for seven years till 2020.  

 

□ Professor Kim(School of Environmental Science and Engineering) was appointed as the inaugural director of the Center and he said “The Center for Seawater Desalination Plant contributed to developing domestic technological capabilities for sea water desalination and set the corner stone whereby Korea will take a leap forward. The Global Desalination Research Center will build upon the technology capabilities fostered by the Center and concentrate all its efforts and abilities to become the leader of the world’s desalination industry.