International competition in the field of microsystems technology is tough. The art of fitting ever smaller components and products into ever smaller spaces calls for great expertise and a constant exchange of ideas. This is why the research consortium ZEMI is looking for contacts with South Korea.

Focus on: Initial and continuing education and training

ZEMI – Centre for Microsystems Technology Berlin – has been discussing questions of initial and continuing education with Korean partners on a regular basis over the past two years. The cooperation began in November 2006, when ZEMI attended a meeting of specialists on microsystems technology and organised a workshop. In the course of this, ZEMI reached an agreement with four Korean universities on the goals of international cooperation between the partners and signed a Letter of Intent with the Changwon Cluster Development Agency (CCDA), which covers both cooperation in the field of initial and continuing education and training, plus the exchange of scientists and researchers.

Late 2006 saw the colleagues from Changwon pay a return visit to Berlin. ZEMI and CCDA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on initial and continuing education and training in microsystems technology – a real milestone, given the differing learning cultures. In Germany, complex networks between educational institutions are a part of everyday life. By contrast, South Korean institutions are more interested in bilateral agreements. "The signing of an MOU is an important step towards establishing sustainable collaboration," says Professor Günther Tränkle from the Ferdinand Braun Institute for High Frequency Technology, a member of the ZEMI research association.

Constant exchange of knowledge

The Memorandum laid the foundation for intensive exchange. ZEMI had a stand at the NANO KOREA Technology Fair on initial and continuing education and training in 2007. At a business workshop organised by the International Association of Microtechnology (IVAM), ZEMI's offers to provide microsystems technology training met with lively interest among the Korean universities. Despite the differing cultures between Germany and South Korea, a constant exchange of knowledge will gradually become everyday reality.