Simon Fraser University is teaming up with two leading institutions in South Korea to spark advances in agritech research and projects in Canada and abroad.
SFU professor Woo Soo Kim, founding director of SFU's Global Institute of Agritech (GIA), signed collaborative research Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Seoul National University (SNU)'s Smart Farm Centre and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)'s BK 21 Advanced Materials Research Program during a recent provincial trade mission to Asia.
SFU professor Woo Soo Kim, third from right, with B.C. Premier David Eby, second from right, at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SFU's Global Institute of Agritech and the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)'s BK 21 Advanced Materials Research Program on June 8, 2025 in South Korea.
"Sectors like food systems, food security, agriculture and agritech are really important in Asia," Kim explains. "SFU's Global Institute for Agritech supports future connection and market expansion, like research and development with those two universities. Laying a foundation for research and development and ecosystem building through global partnerships can expand economic development for the province."
GIA is a multi-faculty, global, research institute that aims to advance agritech research and facilitate collaboration with partners around the world. The institute seeks innovative solutions to tackle global agricultural challenges arising from climate change and find solutions to food security issues.
The agreements were signed as part of a 10-day (June 1-10, 2025) trade mission led by B.C. Premier David Eby to Japan, Malaysia and South Korea. The mission aimed to increase opportunities for B.C. products and businesses in Asia.
The MOUs will help champion innovation and research excellence by establishing a framework for collaborative research and by facilitating student and researcher exchanges over the next five years.
The agreement with SNU will further opportunities to bring valuable insights back to British Columbia, potentially aiding local farmers in growing and exporting new crops. The agreement with POSTECH promotes collaboration on academic and research activities, including scholarly publications, exchange of researchers, development of collaborative research programs
'Laying a foundation for research and development and ecosystem building through global partnerships can expand economic development for the province.'
SFU professor Woo Soo Kim
Both Korean institutions are renowned internationally for their exceptional academic excellence and both are members of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), an organization with which SFU has been actively collaborating in the field of smart and sustainable city building, agritech and food security. To aid that collaboration, GIA recently secured $300,000 over three years from Global Affairs Canada.
Kim, who is also co-director of the APRU Food Security & Agritech Hub, adds, "The two MOUs we signed with SNU and POSTECH will lay strong foundations for establishing future partnership opportunities as well as support for the work of the food security and agritech hub."
In addition to signing the MOUs, Kim says he spent his time in Japan and Korea highlighting SFU's excellence in clean-tech, AI, agritech and quantum computing.
Also on the trade mission, SFU professor Edward Park, co-founder and chief operating officer of Human In Motion Robotics (HMR) Inc., demonstrated his company's XoMotion next-generation exoskeleton platform at the Canadian embassy in Seoul.
