Center of Excellence in SW of Konkuk University (Director Yong-Bum Cho, the Vice President of Public Affairs) announced on 11th that it will carry out 'K-Lab', an international joint program to develop innovative start-up talents based on creative ideas.
‘K-Lab’ benchmarked Living Lab, a creative problem-solving curriculum at the University of the Netherlands that global industry-academic program for students to study about social issues and find solutions by cooperating with two countries’ national institutions and companies. The Dutch higher education institutions have introduced this system to the interdisciplinary system so that students can have practical experience and increase the employment rate and strengthen the support for the start-up business. Last year, Konkuk University jointly cooperated with Nuffic and four Dutch universities and have been doing K-Lab project. Students apply the advanced technology they have learned at university to study field-oriented customer related problems and derive solutions. Through practical joint projects with overseas college students, they can improve their international and practical ability.
The theme of this K-Lab project is 'Smart Life,' which focuses on 'linking generations' and 'healthy life' with various methods and solutions for improving the quality of life by utilizing ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and implement real services based on software (SW). The project involved 22 students from Konkuk University's College of Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Humanities ICT-related students, 10 students from Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, and 5 students from Sookmyung Women's University who will be joining exchange programs to Fontys University of Applied Sciences.The students from the two universities visited the Seoul Innovation Park and the Seoul 50+ West Campus to observe the real life of the elderly and the workers in the vicinity of Gangnam Station in Seoul from the end of January to find the consumer-friendly solution. They conducted in-depth interviews with 10 people and conducted specialist workshops to find out problems and find solutions. In addition, they also visited Wysiwyg Studio Co., Ltd., a movie special effects company using VR technology, and had field experience and learned about current technology conditions and utilization.
In early February, they organized a Hackaton Design International Workshop focused on 'Life in Smart City focus on Health, Food and Inter-generation issues' at KU Smart Factory. Students from Konkuk University, Sookmyung Women's University and the Dutch Fontys University were divided into four teams to draw out ideas, had an interview with actual customers such as the elderly people, visited industry sites and form ideas, and presented about their project results. In the workshop, a variety of solutions were suggested such as ▲Development of apps and web services for events and communication for various elderly people and young people ▲Database of satisfaction and proficiency of the occupations for the elderly, development of a variety of solutions including a web platform proposal for the elderly through games ▲Social networking service that provides a diet for the healthier diet of urban workers and food recommendation service.
Professor Hyung-seok Kim (Department of Software), who has been working on K-Lab project, said, "We benchmarked the consumer-based problem-solving education system in the form of the Living Lab and settling it as the ‘K-Lab’ which is more suitable for situation in Korea. The 'K-Lab' program is not a simple invention process but a process of improving the problem-solving capacity, which is the basic competence of the 4th industry specialist. Through this, students who participated in the project can maximize the customer-centered practical capability and it can be linked to actual results such as start-up business, employment, and overseas advancement by creating project products closely related to the consumer."