On the 10th (local time), Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo toured the facilities of the NASA Ames Research Center (hereinafter referred to as 'NASA ARC') located in Silicon Valley, USA, and discussed plans to create a space industry cluster specializing in research talent development. NASA ARC, established in 1939 as a research institute of the National Advisory Committee on Aviation (NACA), was relocated when NASA was founded in 1958, and gradually expanded research areas such as space flight and information technology, air traffic management, and life science, it has developed into a world-class research and development center where industry, academia, and research institutes collaborate.
In particular, NASA ARC aims to create an innovative research and educational environment to nurture future talent and is conducting joint research with Daejeon's Aerospace Research Institute and KAIST as well as world-class universities. Mayor Lee Jang-woo benchmarked NASA ARC's leading collaboration system with universities and companies and plans to nurture professional research personnel, and shared opinions on various plans that can be applied to the creation of the Daejeon Space Industry Cluster.
In addition, while listening to an explanation of the latest technologies and trends for UAM (Urban Air Mobility), which is being researched by NASA ARC, it was instructed to start looking for measures at the Daejeon city level to preemptively prepare for the commercialization of UAM in the future. In addition, Mayor Lee Jang-woo said, “Daejeon is a place where industry, academia, and research in the space field are concentrated. As a space-specialized city, not only has the aerospace sector been selected as a future core industry, but numerous space companies are emerging based on a spirit of challenge and technological prowess. We look forward to cooperating with NASA in various fields such as research, human resource development, and commercialization." Meanwhile, Daejeon City was confirmed as a 'space industry cluster research talent development special district' by the National Space Council (국가우주위원회), the highest decision-making agency for national space development policy, last December.
During the first half of 2023, through planning research, the city will materialize business plans such as research on inner space: building a human resource development center, research and development to secure Smirae space technology, and fostering talent specializing in space in Daejeon. It is planned to create On the afternoon of the 10th, Mayor Lee met with officials from Silicon Valley Venture Capital, including Global Frontier Technology Venture CEO Eum Jae-hoon (음재훈), and exchanged opinions on the establishment of a successful investment agency and corporate finance central bank. They discussed ways how to cooperate, such as entering companies in the jurisdiction. Mayor Lee, who has finished his business trip to the United States, is on his way home and is scheduled to arrive in Daejeon on the morning of the 12th (Thursday), Korean time.
