Korea's First Horizon Europe Selection… Hidden Designers Behind the Success

KIST became the first Korean institution selected for Horizon Europe, the EU's largest research innovation program. This achievement marks the first success since Korea joined as a Horizon Europe associate member. Behind the success are KIST's Europe Research Institute coordinators, who connect Korean and European researchers, identify suitable calls, form consortia, and support proposal writing and project management. Their scope extends beyond KIST to include domestic research institutions. Kim Yong-jun, a research coordinator, explained that they act as a hub connecting Korea and Europe, reducing communication barriers and bridging cultural differences in proposal submissions. The institute reorganized into clusters focused on advanced bio, energy-environment, and AI integration, with three coordinators overseeing specific areas. Proposal preparation requires extensive analysis of calls, coordination among institutions, and refining documents over nearly six months. Coordinators emphasize the need for Korean researchers to align proposal strengths with industrial and societal impact while adhering to strict formatting requirements.