In the period from February 7 to February 9, 2023, at the invitation of the Seoul International Friendship Organization (SIFO), the delegation of KSTU named after. I. Razzakov as part of the rector M.K. Chynybaev and Director of the Institute of Information Technologies G.J. Kabaeva visited South Korea as part of the international project “Continuous Digital IT Education, Promoting Entrepreneurship and Employment Opportunities by Expanding Educational Perspectives through FabLab Bishkek in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2022-2024”, which has been successfully implemented for a number of years with the direct support of SIFO and the Korean international cooperation agency (KOICA).
During the visit, a technical tour was organized, the tasks of which included: - improving bilateral cooperation with educational institutions and companies on the topic "Sustainable smart technologies";
discussion of recommendations for the further development of digitalization and urbanization in the Kyrgyz Republic;
consideration of issues of evaluation and planning of international projects together with government agencies, KOICA and SIFO.
Our delegation also visited key organizations involved in solving the problems of digitalization of the Seoul metropolis, at meetings with which their leaders touched on the main achievements in the field of IT, Smart technologies and artificial intelligence technologies. In particular, on February 7, there was a visit to the Korean Institute of Industrial Technology, which solves educational, research and production tasks, has modern equipment that allows you to study the composition and microstructure of various materials, trains undergraduates and doctoral students.
Then a meeting was held with the staff of Seoul University, where the delegation was acquainted with the results of the introduction of intelligent solutions in various areas of the city's life support in order to increase general security issues and quickly respond to emergencies, reduce the influence of the human factor and fully automate many routine processes.
On February 8, a meeting was held with the Director General of the Civil Society Partnership Department of KOICA, Ms. Youngran Kim. Here, our delegation expressed its gratitude for the support and noted the great role of FabLab in improving the digital competencies of the youth of Kyrgyzstan. Of course, the issues of allocating additional funding for the purchase of 3d printers that can produce metal samples were raised.
Also, our delegates took part in the Korean-Kyrgyz business forum on cooperation in the field of education and entrepreneurship, where Rector Chynybaev M.K. made a presentation of KSTU, shared plans for its development and cooperation with the business sector in connection with obtaining a special status, which implies greater autonomy and entry into the global educational space.
We also note that the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to South Korea Ismailova A.Zh. took part in this meeting. As a result of the meetings, a platform was formed for the creation of representative offices and branches of foreign Korean companies in Kyrgyzstan, as well as the exchange of experience between scientists of the two countries.
And on February 9, a visit to the exhibition halls of the Seoul Smart City Exhibition was organized, where one could see the achievements in the implementation of Smart City technologies - a smart city, presented in several halls. During this event, a meeting was held with the company "We go", working directly in this direction. The company "We go" has officially invited students of KSTU to participate in the startup championships, which it arranges in the big cities of South Korea.
Finally, the meeting with the Vice President for Science and Technology of the University of Science and Technology, Ms. Mijung Park, was fruitful, at which the parties agreed on cooperation and participation of our students in summer schools, as well as the prospects for academic exchange. The specified University occupies the 1st place among the state universities of Korea, and organized a tour of the campus and laboratory buildings for members of the delegation.
As a result of the negotiations, Rector M.K. Chynybaev and the head of the department "Mechanics" of the local university signed an agreement on cooperation between the departments. Saying goodbye, SIFO President Ms. Song Zhu Li expressed confidence that the Fablab project directly strengthens friendly relations between our peoples, improves the life of the people of Kyrgyzstan through the development of new technologies and contributes to the development of the digital transformation of the state economy.