Beyond K-Pop: Swiss Korean Innovation

by Elise Nardin, 04.07.2019
View over Seoul’s artisan neighborhood with the Seoul Tower in the background (photo credit: Elise Nardin/ETH Zurich)

If you are patient enough, Seoul - an octopus-like city of neighborhoods perched upon hills and its crisscross tentacles of highways and rivers - reveals its gems.

Sitting at the airport, I realized that my travel outfit matched Korean Airways’ corporate colour palette. I decided it was a good omen for the week ahead and it was indeed a great week.

The ‘Swiss-Korean Innovation Week’ took place in the Republic of Korea’s capital city, Seoul in May. The event highlighted the existing collaboration between Swiss and South Korean researchers and innovators. A Swiss delegation, myself included, travelled to Seoul to gather first-hand insight into how that collaboration materializes and how it can be further fostered.
Co-Working Space at the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (GCCI) (photo credit: Elise Nardin/ETH Zurich)
The week kicked off with a symposium in which Swiss and Korean researchers presented their current work on the topic of smart living and smart cities. Researchers illustrated challenges such as the integration of citizens with disabilities, as well as the prevention of accidents in the ageing society. Mirroring each challenge are innovative Swiss and Korean startups ready to supply potential solutions. Feeding the week-long discussions was a common, yet crucial thread – ethics. Ethical considerations surrounding data storage and its use in smart cities raised a number of questions and served as fuel for intense discussions.
My primary goal for the week was to get acquainted with the startup ecosystem, become familiar with the South Korean government’s innovation and economic policy, and strengthen my relationships with my Korean counterparts. I visited co-working spaces such as Root Impact and WeWork Seoul, as well as met representatives of the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (GCCI), a public-private partnership between all levels of government (general, regional, and city) that fosters the start-up ecosystem all across South Korea.

One of the highlights was a meeting with the team of NOUL Inc., a Korea-based bio-tech company that develops malaria diagnostics hardware and software. Their technology makes the detection of malaria quicker, safer, and more efficient. It also monitors the disease in specific regions or countries in the world. In 2017, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) was awarded funding for an ‘Innovation Partnership Grant’ from the bilateral programmes of the State Secretariat for Education Research and Innovation (SERI), through the Leading House Asia, managed by ETH Zurich’s Global office. This allowed the Swiss TPH and NOUL Inc. to conduct clinical trials in Malawi that same year. Since then, NOUL Inc. has opened a presence in Basel to facilitate knowledge transfer to and from Swiss scientists. What struck me most about this start-up was how they attract talent in a country where young graduates compete to work at one of the chaebols – large family-owned industrial conglomerates in South Korea. Through its commitment to make a lasting impact in the world, its clear vision, and innovative technology, Noul Inc. captures the interest and passion of highly engaged young Koreans.
In addition to building my professional relationships, while in Seoul I scouted out locations for ETH Zurich’s upcoming event as part of "Zürich Meets Seoul" in September 2019. Inspired by the city, its crazy innovators, spicy food, and k-pop music, I discovered hidden gems, one small alley at a time returning to Zurich full of inspiration and ideas. Spending a week in Seoul not only allowed me to strengthen my working relationships with my counterparts, it gave me unique insight into a country, a society, and a culture that does not limit itself to its most famous exports. I believe that these first glimpses of Seoul will definitely contribute to building a long-term ‘jeong’ - warm feeling of attachment to my Korean colleagues, Seoul, and South Korea in general. Kamsamida!
South Korean diagnostics startup NOUL Inc. (photo credit: Elise Nardin/ETH Zurich)

About the author

Elise Nardin is programme manager at ETH Zurich. Working out of the ETH Global office, she manages the Bilateral Programmes with Asia. Nardin holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Lausanne and a MA in Public Management and Policy from the IDHEAP (University of Lausanne). Prior to ETH Zurich, she worked in international trade promotion for various state agencies and in economic diplomacy at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in Bern where she was responsible for the bilateral economic relations with South Asia and Oceania. A strong advocate for Swiss design, Elise Nardin has been involved in promoting Swiss design and was recently appointed a member of the board of the Swiss Design Association (SDA). Additionally, she is the founder of the Impromptue Project, a local initiative aiming to support women’s entrepreneurial endeavors.