On September 27, 2016, Konkuk University (KU) signed an MOU with EP-Nuffic. Headquartered in The Hague, EP-Nuffic is a non-profit organization supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science to promote international education. During the Netherlands-Korea Trade Dinner, which was attended by Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, KU President Sang-Gi Min and EP-Nuffic Director Theo Hooghiemstra signed the MOU for the Living Lab project.
The Living Lab project aims to connect Korean and Dutch universities for joint research and to provide career development training to students. Dutch universities are to study challenges in the Korean society and work with Korean universities and government agencies to find solutions. “Smart aging” based on the ICT sector to improve the quality of life of senior citizens will be the main topic of collaboration between KU and EP-Nuffic. Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, and HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in the Netherlands will participate in the project. From Konkuk University, the Center for Integrated Science and Technology, medical school, IT-related departments, Office of the International Affairs, and Office of Career Development and Placement will be involved. As a result of the collaboration, Konkuk Students will be able to work closely with Dutch universities on opening new businesses, such as commercializing their products and services or obtaining funding. Opportunities will be given to exceptional students to receive training in one of the Dutch universities for three months.