South Korea and Germany are among the leading research nations in the field of optical communications technology. In order to strengthen their competencies, two of the world's leading research institutes from both countries have agreed to cooperate. The German Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institute (HHI) and the South Korean Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) aim, above all, to collaborate with each other in the field of photonic components for the telecommunications market.

Industry and science under a single umbrella

The partnership was initiated by the numerous new contacts that were made as part of the pilot project on "Research Marketing South Korea". On the German side, the companies and institutes associated under the Optec-Berlin-Brandenburg (OpTecBB) Network for Optical Technologies, including representatives of the HHI, have travelled to South Korea on several occasions. The stage for the first intensive exchange was provided by joint workshops held in Seoul und Gwangju, the centre of photonics in South Korea. One of the core areas of this exchange focused on applied optics, and particularly on photonics.

Talks and discussions then provided further impetus for more collaborations. The HHI has entered into a business partnership with a Korean company that develops and markets photonic components on a polymer basis. The specialist knowledge available at both partners complements the two sides excellently. There is a particularly strong interest in jointly developing components for the next generation of optical subscriber terminals.

Technology parks as a joint platform

In addition, the Gwangju Technopark and the Changwon Cluster Development Agency became members of European Office Services, a network of European technology parks run, inter alia, by the German company WISTA Management GmbH, which operates the Science and Technology Park Berlin-Adlershof, as well. Young companies, in particular, benefit from the newly created platforms in South Korea. Standardised on site services make it easier for them to enter and become active in the market.