Korea-UK International Joint R&D Roundtable Held to Secure Eco-Friendly Ship Technology
Establishing a cooperative system with the Korean Scientists and Engineers Association in the UK… Supporting technical difficulties of special zone companies

Korea and the UK are joining hands to promote cooperation in regulatory innovation for next-generation marine mobility new technologies and securing eco-friendly ship technologies.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (hereinafter referred to as the MSS) announced that it held the 'Korea-UK International Joint R&D Roundtable' event on the 31st of last month in Birmingham, UK to strengthen the competitiveness of eco-friendly ships and core equipment technologies in the Busan Next-Generation Marine Mobility Global Innovation Special Zone.

The Global Innovation Special Zone is an innovation cluster that promotes regulatory relief, international joint R&D, domestic and international verification, and overseas certification to foster local innovative businesses or strategic industries by utilizing new technologies.

In April 2024, four locations including Busan, Gangwon, Jeonnam, and Chungbuk were first designated, and the Busan Special Zone (Next-generation Marine Mobility) is promoting eco-friendly ship technology using eco-friendly fuels such as ammonia and green shipping route verification as its main business.

This roundtable was organized to match overseas joint R&D partners and specify tasks for related technologies such as ammonia bunkering technology and greenhouse gas solutions for ships, with the participation of key officials from the University of Strathclyde in the UK, European shipbuilding and marine experts, and Busan TP and special zone companies in Korea.

Especially Europe· A large number of shipbuilding and marine experts working in Europe, including Chairman Jeong Byeong-wook of the Korea Marine Industry Association (EKMOA), participated to share technology trends related to eco-friendly ships and discuss verification-related content.

In addition, researchers from the University of Strathclyde, which is ranked first in the UK and 7th globally in the field of shipbuilding and marine engineering, participated, and the collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, which specializes in climate tech such as eco-friendly ships, is expected to greatly contribute to establishing an international joint R&D partnership with the Busan Next-Generation Marine Mobility Global Innovation Special Zone.