Officials from the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology and the Korean-American Society of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineers pose for a photo after signing an MOU. [Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology]
Officials from the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology and the Korean-American Society of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineers pose for a photo after signing an MOU. [Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology]

The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology is joining forces with Korean-American professionals in the construction, environmental and architectural fields to expand international joint research and technology exchange.

KICT announced that it signed an MOU with the Korean-American Society of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineers (KSCEA) at the 2026 US-Korea Conference on Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship (UKC 2026), held in the United States from Wednesday through Friday, to strengthen its global network in the construction sector and identify new international joint projects.

KSCEA is a professional academic organization established in 2011 on the occasion of UKC. Affiliated with the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association, it supports academic exchange and cooperation among Korean professionals working in civil, environmental, transportation, structural engineering and infrastructure.

The MOU is designed to connect the research capabilities and expert networks of both institutions to promote joint research and technology exchange in the construction technology sector. Particularly significant is its aim to build a people-to-people network between researchers in the two countries, laying the groundwork for sustained identification of international joint research and collaborative projects.

The two institutions plan to pursue research information sharing in the construction, civil, environmental and architectural fields; identification of international joint research and collaborative projects; expert exchanges; and co-hosted seminars and forums. They also intend to continuously identify additional areas where cooperation is needed for the mutual advancement of construction technology.

KICT said it will use the MOU as an opportunity to expand its global cooperation network in a more systematic way.

The institute plans to launch a "KICT Global Cooperation Advisory Council" centered on key overseas partner countries including the United States, Japan and Europe, providing strategic support for international research cooperation and technology exchange.

The advisory council will be composed of experts in four fields: civil engineering, architecture and building energy, water resources and environment, and AI and future convergence. Members will support KICT's global cooperation activities by providing technology and policy advisory services, supporting international joint research, planning research and development initiatives, and promoting overseas networking.

Park Seon-gyu, president of KICT, said the MOU "will serve as an important foundation for cooperation between KICT — the country's only government-funded research institute dedicated to construction — and Korean professionals in civil, environmental and architectural engineering working in the United States." He added that the institute would "expand Korea-US joint research across diverse construction fields and accelerate the globalization of domestic construction technology."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com