Ontario and South Korea research partners deepen links

Rafi Hofstein, chief executive of MI, is in Seoul to further the joint research initiatives first envisaged last year. He is travelling with Rezi Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Research, Innovation and Science.
Five Ontario scientists from some of MI's member institutions are on the trip and have held discussions with their Korean counterparts.
These scientific collaborations aim to commercialise the partners’ joint research findings, building on the five-year global partnership agreement.
Under the bilateral agreement, KHIDI and MI aim to commercialise advances in biomedical and healthcare innovations and generate startups, promote the co-development and commercialisation of medical technologies and therapeutics between Ontario and South Korea in concert with industry and government.
"KHIDI is pleased to announce the first collaborations between its member researchers and their Canadian partners,” said Eom Boyong, executive director of KHIDI.
“A tremendous amount of progress has been made between KHIDI and MI since we established the relationship less than a year ago, and we look forward to further collaboration with MI and their outstanding scientific member institutions.
“I am confident that, through the partnership with MI, we will bring the most promising research to the marketplace, with benefit to both countries as well as to the health of the world's population.”
Moridi said: “I am thrilled my colleagues from MaRS Innovation are able to join me on this important mission to the Republic of Korea. I am confident the partnership agreements announced between MaRS Innovation and KHIDI ‎will bring breakthrough research and collaboration efforts to both of our jurisdictions. I would like to congratulate both organisations on this important milestone.”
“KHIDI's initiative to establish a new Seoul-based commercialisation structure modelled on MaRS innovation is yet another strong indication that the commercialisation model developed in Ontario through federal and provincial funding, and with a strong base of stellar member institutions, is now an internationally recognized transformational approach.”
Hofstein said: “MaRS Innovation is thrilled to be the lead partner with KHIDI of this new bi-national programme. The exchange of exciting and ground-breaking research, which has started now with the current Ontario delegation, will certainly contribute significantly to healthcare everywhere and to the economies of Ontario and The Republic of Korea.”