South Korea, Guest Country in Transfiere 2016

Guest Country 2016: South Korea

South Korea was the guest country of the 5th edition of Transfiere. As such, the south korean R&D&i ecosystem took part in the different activity areas of the Forum (networking, institutional agenda, official events in the Forum, conference programme, among others).

Korea is positioned at the forefront of different types of science, technology and Innovation. It has been recognized as one of the most innovative and competitive economies in the world for years now.

Additionally, the EU-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA) was the EU´s first trade deal with an Asian country. It was formally ratified in December 2015.

Why was South Korea´s presence important for Transfiere 2016?

South Korea is a highly developed country, and it is among the most technological advanced countries.
Korea is the third country with the highest number of internet users with the world´s fastest connection speeds.
South Korea leads the OECD in graduates in science and engineering. It has also one of the most advanced infrastructure system in the world and it is an important industry leader in shipbuilding.

South Korea is the third highest ranked Asian country in the World Economic Forum’s Network Readiness Index (NRI) after Singapore and Hong Kong respectively – an indicator for determining the development level of a country’s information and communication technologies.
Approximately one year after the Korean presence in Transfiere´s 5^th edition, the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness hosted a bilateral meeting between Spain and South Korea to discuss joint cooperation in scientific and technological matters. They also explored new ways to intensify collaboration between the two countries.