Ghent University Global Campus President Han Tae-jun and Marine Ugent Korea Director Park Ji-hye outline joint push for Horizon Europe 2027; more than 60 experts from both countries gather in Wellington

Han Tae-jun, president of Ghent University Global Campus, speaks during a panel discussion at the 2026 Korea-New Zealand Science and Technology Cooperation Seminar in Wellington. [Provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in New Zealand]
Han Tae-jun, president of Ghent University Global Campus, speaks during a panel discussion at the 2026 Korea-New Zealand Science and Technology Cooperation Seminar in Wellington. [Provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in New Zealand]

Concrete steps are underway to push science and technology cooperation between South Korea and New Zealand beyond bilateral exchanges and onto the global stage — including through Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research program.

Leading that effort are Han Tae-jun, president of Ghent University Global Campus, and Park Ji-hye, director of Marine Ugent Korea. The two presented a practical roadmap for international joint research at the 2026 Korea-New Zealand Science and Technology Cooperation Seminar, held Sept. 10 at Victoria University of Wellington. The event was co-hosted by the South Korean Embassy in New Zealand, New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and Victoria University of Wellington.

Park, who spoke during the seminar's multilateral research cooperation session, shared concrete outcomes from an international consortium led by Ghent University Global Campus and laid out a step-by-step framework for bilateral collaboration.

She described how a project proposed by the Ghent University Global Campus consortium had earned a STEP Seal of Excellence from the EU, and said tackling global environmental challenges — including climate change — and building biotech-based industries for the future were tasks no single country could accomplish alone.

Park argued that if South Korea and New Zealand jointly identified and pursued Horizon Europe projects in 2027 and built a multilateral international consortium together, the two countries could secure a meaningful leadership role on the global research stage.

In the panel discussion that followed, Han identified "trust" and "incremental results" as the core principles behind successful international joint research.

Han said the outcome of any international research collaboration ultimately depends on the determination and sense of responsibility of the researchers involved, backed by sustained government support from both sides. He particularly stressed what he called the "momentum effect."

"Rather than pursuing a massive project from the outset, it is more important to first produce tangible results from small but concrete areas of cooperation," he said. "When those successes accumulate and build solid trust, collaboration can naturally grow into something larger."

He added that the ultimate goal of all international cooperation should be grounded not merely in technology or research, but in a spirit of contributing to people and society.

Meanwhile, the seminar drew more than 60 participants, including researchers from the Korea Research Foundation, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Kyung Hee University and Yonsei University, as well as New Zealand government and academic representatives. South Korean Ambassador to New Zealand Chung Byung-ha delivered the welcoming remarks.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com