NRC opens R&D opportunities for Canadian SMEs in South Korea

The NRC and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today under the Canada-South Korea Science, Technology and Innovation agreement to facilitate R&D collaboration between Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and South Korean innovators.

South Korea has a vibrant R&D private sector and is known for its concentration of high-tech companies. This year, it topped the Bloomberg Innovation Index, for being one of the most innovative economies in the world, namely for its R&D intensity, value-added manufacturing and patent activity.

"We are pleased to formalize our relationship with KIAT through this agreement," said David Lisk, Vice President at the NRC. "We believe that by facilitating collaborative R&D projects between innovative firms in both our countries, we will contribute to accelerating the product commercialization and growth of Canadian SMEs."

Over the past year, the NRC has also signed agreements with India, China and Brazil to foster and support collaborative industrial R&D projects under the auspices of the Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP). CIIP is a Global Affairs Canada program that is delivered in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). This program helps to open doors to foreign markets that hold tremendous potential for Canadian SMEs' growth through technology commercialization.

Alongside this MoU, the first CIIP call for proposals with Korea was launched. For information about the call for proposals please see the Global Affairs Canada website.