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KAIST transfers research, education programs to Kenya

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KAIST President Shin Sung-chul, front row left, shakes hands with professor Collette A. Suda, chief administrative secretary and principal secretary at the Kenyan State Department for University Education and Research, during a ceremony at Konza Technopolis City, Kenya, Tuesday, to kick off a project to carry out consulting work on curriculum design for the establishment of Kenya KAIST. / Courtesy of KAIST
KAIST President Shin Sung-chul, front row left, shakes hands with professor Collette A. Suda, chief administrative secretary and principal secretary at the Kenyan State Department for University Education and Research, during a ceremony at Konza Technopolis City, Kenya, Tuesday, to kick off a project to carry out consulting work on curriculum design for the establishment of Kenya KAIST. / Courtesy of KAIST

By Jun Ji-hye

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has officially kicked off a project to introduce its research and education programs to Kenya, which is working to establish the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya KAIST), the Korean university said Wednesday.

The kick-off ceremony took place in Konza Technopolis City located near Nairobi, Tuesday (local time). About 30 figures participated in the event, including KAIST President Shin Sung-chul and Kenyan Principal Secretary for ICT and Innovation Jerome Ochieng as well as professor Collette A. Suda, chief administrative secretary and principal secretary at the Kenyan State Department for University Education and Research.

The African country, which is striving to modernize itself based on science and technology, plans to open Kenya KAIST in 2021 to nurture high-skilled manpower in the natural sciences and engineering sectors. It is part of the country's mid- and long-term national development plans to join the ranks of developed countries by 2030.

The Kenya KAIST establishment project with a scale of $95 million is financed by Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) that was set up in 1987 to promote economic cooperation between Korea and developing countries.

The KAIST consortium, formed with architectural firms, won a competitive bid worth $9.5 million last year to carry out consulting work on architectural and curriculum design for the establishment of Kenya KAIST. The consortium signed a final deal with the Kenyan government, Nov. 30.

Under the deal, KAIST will do consulting work for 36 months in designing basic science curriculum and establishing management systems, the university said.

KAIST has previously introduced parts of its programs related to research and education to China and the Middle East, but this marks the first time it has exported its entire program to another country, the university added.

KAIST President Shin said the university's participation in the Kenyan project was meaningful, considering the university was established in 1971 with a $6 million loan from the United States.

"KAIST has jumped to become a world-level university in half a century since it was set up through foreign aid," Shin said during his speech at University of Nairobi, Wednesday. "Now, KAIST is handing down its successful models to a developing country."

Shin said the university will support the establishment of Kenya KAIST sincerely to contribute to the modernization of the African country.


Jun Ji-hye jjh@koreatimes.co.kr


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