The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, an institute under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and ICT, signed an MOU in the fields of advanced manufacturing and robotics with research institutes in Spain and Greece, two of European leaders in outstanding mechanical technology, in order to accelerate international cooperation with European countries.

 On Friday May 26 2023, President Sang-jin Park of KIMM signed an MOU at the University of Patras, Greece to promote industry-academia-research cooperation with EIT Manufacturing*, an industry-academia-research council of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), and the Laboratory for Manufacturing System and Automation (LMS) at the University of Patras*, a leading technology center for robotics, in order to promote comprehensive international cooperation, such as conducting international joint research in the field of manufacturing equipment and exchanging human resources and information among the institutes.

      * EIT Manufacturing, established by the EIT in 2019 to advance advanced technologies in the manufacturing field in Europe, based on the network of 130 partners from 25 European member counties, has done business on education, training, and start-up worth KRW 570 billion (EUR 400 million) by 2026.

      * The university of Patras, third largest university in Greece and founded in 1964, has approximately 1,600 researchers conducting research in the 161 affiliated research institutes. Among them, LMS (Laboratory for Manufacturing System and Automation) specializes in manufacturing systems, robotics, industrial automation, and virtual reality.

 The delegation of KIMM toured the LMS’s research facilities and discussed further international joint research projects in robotics that KIMM and LMS have jointly conducted via the EU research and innovation program ‘Horizon Europe*’.

      * Horizon Europe is the ninth research and innovation program to expand inclusive international collaborative research in Europe and create a healthier, greener, and more digital Europe, a program in which the EU will invest EUR 95.5 billion for 7 years from 2021 to 2027. The EU has increasingly invited non-EU members with excellent research capabilities to become associate members of this program to strengthen international cooperation.

 KIMM has developed smart mechatronics technology, AI-based control technology, and user-friendly interface technology for intelligent goods handling, with the aim of developing AI-based robot system technology for smart manufacturing, in collaboration with the LMS of the University of Patras in Greece and 16 institutes from 7 countries including Germany and Italy. In particular, KIMM’s research has focused on smart mechatronics technologies, such as robotic hands and universal grippers, and user-friendly interface technologies, such as smart teaching devices, all that KIMM has an edge on. These technologies will be applied in various fields, such as elevator manufacturing, logistics warehouses, and aircraft assembly.

      * A project titled “Nimble Artificial Intelligence driven robotic solutions for efficient and self-determined handling and assembly operations (MASTERLY)” has been carrying out for 42 months from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2027, with a budget of EUR 6 million, involving 16 institutes from 5 EU countries (Greece, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ukraine), the United Kingdom, and South Korea.

 The delegation, on Tuesday, May 23 (local time), visited the Technology Center of Catalonia (EURECAT*), an excellent research institute in the field of mechanical technology in Spain, and signed an MOU to establish a network for mutual exchange and international cooperation in the field of mechanical technology and manufacturing in Spain, first cooperation with a Spanish research institute. Before this cooperation, KIMM conducted online meetings requested by the Spanish institute seeking KIMM’s cooperation on advanced mechanical technology.

      * EURECAT has built the science and technology innovation system and provided innovative solutions to a wide range of industries through various technologies and a highly qualified workforce in Spain and Catalonia with more than 650 experts researching robotics, ICT, energy resources, and chemistry, with 12 laboratories.

KIMM is also seeking international joint research in 3D printing in Europe. The researchers, on Wednesday, May 24, visited the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (CIM UPC*) in Catalonia, Spain to sign an MOU and hold discussions to discover projects for international joint research on metal 3D printing, which will have a large industrial impact. They also visited the main campus of Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (UPC) to tour the research site of the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering and promote research cooperation related to 3D printing.

      * Founded in Barcelona in 1971, the UPC is one of the top three engineering universities in Spain, an educational research institute specializing in architecture, science, and engineering with around 30,000 students. The CIM, the center for advanced manufacturing technology within the UPC, is one of the leading research centers in Europe for 3D printing and machine tools.

KIMM has strengthened cooperation in the fields of machine tools and lasers with Germany, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania, all traditional powerhouses of mechanical technology, by carrying out international joint research projects. Last year, KIMM visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW), and the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) to sign an MOU for research collaboration.

President Sang-jin Park announced “We will expand international joint research not only in the fields of existing machine tools and lasers, but also in advanced manufacturing fields, such as robotics and 3D printing, and continue to develop technologies that benefit domestic and foreign industries by actively exchanging demand-based application technologies owned by KIMM for basic source mechanical technologies of Europe.”