SNU College of Engineering Signs MOU with NTNU for Joint Research on Floating Infrastructure
- Aiming to Secure Cutting-Edge Technologies for Floating Hotels, Offshore Wind Power, and Future-Oriented Infrastructure
- Anticipating a New Era for Korea’s Marine and Coastal Infrastructure


▲ (From left) Professor Ole Andre Øiseth, Department of Structural Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Dean Olav Bolland, NTNU Faculty of Engineering; Professor Ho-Kyung Kim, Professor Chul Hun Chung, and Professor Yunbyeong Chae, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University.

Seoul National University College of Engineering has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) to advance joint research and the development of cutting-edge technologies in the field of floating infrastructure. The MOU was signed on June 23, 2025.

The signing ceremony was held at NTNU’s campus in Trondheim, Norway, with key figures including NTNU Faculty of Engineering Dean Olav Bolland, Professor Ole Andre Øiseth, and SNU Professor Ho-Kyung Kim of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in attendance to affirm their commitment to collaboration.

In conjunction with the MOU signing, the first Korea-Norway joint workshop—titled GFIRH-FLORA-SNU-NTNU Joint Workshop on Floating Structures—was held on June 20 and 23. The workshop brought together more than 40 experts from both countries, who engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanges on floating infrastructure technologies.

The MOU follows the establishment of the Global Floating Infrastructure Research Hub (GFIRH) by SNU’s Institute of Construction and Environmental Engineering. The hub was launched as part of SNU’s 2024 “International Cooperation Platform Support Program,” led by the university’s Office of Research Affairs.

Under the agreement, SNU’s Institute of Construction and Environmental Engineering and the Research Institute of Marine Systems Engineering, along with NTNU’s Department of Structural Engineering, will engage in practical collaborative research efforts. Notably, the two institutions aim to accelerate the development of technologies related to future-oriented infrastructure projects, such as floating hotels and offshore wind power, including those associated with Korea’s high-profile Great Han River Project. In the long term, this partnership is expected to help usher in a new era of marine and coastal infrastructure development on the Korean Peninsula, which is bordered on three sides by the sea.

Professor Ho-Kyung Kim, Director of the Institute of Construction and Environmental Engineering at SNU, commented, “This MOU and the inaugural Korea-Norway workshop represent significant steps toward realizing what was once considered the infrastructure of the future—floating offshore structures. It lays the academic and technological groundwork necessary for that vision.” He continued, “Having successfully completed over 80 cable-supported bridges over the past three decades, including the world’s longest suspension bridge in Çanakkale, Türkiye, Korea’s construction expertise is now expanding into the marine domain. The Global Floating Infrastructure Research Hub and the Floating Infrastructure Research Association will play key roles in advancing this trend.”

SNU also launched the Floating Infrastructure Research Association (FLORA) in 2023 with support from Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. FLORA, led by Professor Kim, will operate for five years through 2027. The research group, in collaboration with industry leaders such as Hyundai Engineering & Construction and POSCO, is currently focused on developing modular floating platforms that can support water-based urban development and offshore energy infrastructure.

As part of this international partnership, researchers are also conducting active studies on floating bridge technologies for deep-sea applications—most notably for the E39 Coastal Highway Route in Norway, which includes crossings of fjords with depths up to 1,000 meters. This collaboration leverages Norway’s globally recognized expertise in the field.


▲ (From left) Professor Ole Andre Øiseth, NTNU Faculty of Engineering; Dean Olav Bolland, NTNU; Professor Ho-Kyung Kim, Professor Chul Hun Chung, and Professor Yunbyeong Chae, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, SNU.


▲ Group Photo of Participants of the inaugural GFIRH-FLORA-SNU-NTNU Joint Workshop on Floating Structures.


▲ (From left) Professor Ole Andre Øiseth and Dean Olav Bolland of NTNU; Professor Ho-Kyung Kim of Seoul National University.


[Contact Information]
Professor Ho-Kyung Kim, Director of Institute of Construction and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University / hokyungk@snu.ac.kr