Stanford University announced the establishment of the Stanford Center at the Incheon Global Campus in the city of Incheon, outside of Seoul. The research center is located in Songdo Smart City, a business district also in Incheon. The new building will serve as a test bed to help researchers develop and deploy innovations for urban environments.

A new research center in the smart city of Songdo

Stanford University’s new center in Songdo was inaugurated on June 2, 2021 by its president Marc Tessier-Lavigne in a virtual ceremony. In his remarks, he emphasized the existing relationship between Stanford University and South Korea, which made the creation of this building possible:

“South Korea has been one of the first countries to send students to Stanford for over 30 years. Thanks to our decades-long relationship, Stanford alumni are now leaders in South Korean universities, government, and private companies. While the Center’s work is forward-looking, it is rooted in deep historical ties between Stanford and South Korea.”

The center will bring together researchers from Stanfords seven schools with experts from industry, government, or other South Korean universities to initially conduct research on smart cities and sustainable, digitalized urban communities. Marc Tessier-Lavigne then spoke about the concept of smart cities:

“Smart cities and urban systems, as well as international collaboration, are key to achieving a number of UN Sustainable Development Goals. The inauguration of this centre represents one way in which we have made a concrete commitment to solving these pressing challenges.”

Several lines of research to deploy urban innovations

The researchers working on this research will focus on four key areas:

• Improve the way data is collected, stored and visualized to support the implementation of technology for smart cities.
• Use data to improve the well-being and quality of life of people in and around urban areas.
• Develop ways for municipalities to invest in new technologies so that they can be more competitive.
• Synthesize and integrate sensor data to help smart city-based businesses accelerate innovation and increase profitability.

The center is funded through an initial investment by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Incheon Municipal Government of $12.5 million over five years. The Stanford Club of Korea was keen to participate in the development of the centre. The funds will be used to hire about 20 researchers.

Eventually, Stanford hopes to attract other research projects beyond the four objectives mentioned above.

Translated from Corée du Sud : l’Université de Stanford inaugure son centre de recherche sur la smart city