Seoul National University has established ITEC (Innovative Technology and Energy Center) in Tanzania

As an ITEC project of the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Ministry of Science and ICT, the SNU College of Engineering has established the first ITEC in Arusha, Tanzania.

Tanzania ITEC is the fourth ITEC established, following those in Cambodia, Laos and Nepal, and is the first Korean ITEC in Africa.

This is a project to assist the sustainable development of developing countries through necessary technology aid rather than a one-time relief, as part of the ODA (Official Development Assistance).

Located in Eastern Africa, Tanzania is considered to have high growth potential as she is rich in resources like gold and coffee, and is politically stable (KIEP in 2013). NM-AIST (Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology), where the ITEC is established, is a representative Science & Technology college founded by the World Bank at the instance of Nelson Mandela.

With Professor Sung-Hoon Ahn from the SNU Department of Mechanical Engineering as the head of the project, 26 organizations participate, including Korean organizations such as SNU College of Engineering, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, College of Education, SNU.IGSR, Hanyang University, Gyeongsang National University, Woosong University, and local NGO named e3empower and numerous enterprises.

This project runs from 2017 to 2020, concentrating on areas like New & Renewable Energy, Agriculture & Agricultural products’ distribution, Vaccine & Public Health, Start-ups & ICT education. Hyup-Seung Lee (Ph.D. in mechanical engineering), who has gained a rich experience of engineers & start-ups education in Silicon Valley, will be dispatched for 4 years as the head of the Center.

Researchers from Africa, the USA, Europe and Korea will be exchanging academically in ICES 2017 (International Conference on Energy and Sustainability), which will be held in accordance with the opening ceremony of the Center. Moreover, the ITEC will host S.M.A.R.T. (Startup Mission on Art/Design, Responsibility, and Technology) in next January, where local and Korean students will lead the AT (Appropriate Technology) startups adequate for domestic circumstances, and international cooperation.

“This project is more meaningful because we can make use of the AT voluntary service experience we had in SNU Dept. of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Global Solar Volunteer Corps, of which we have supplied electricity to the alpine region in Nepal for past 7 years,” said Sung-Hoon Ahn, the head of the project. He further emphasized, “We want to make good use of the various organizations like the SNU College of Engineering and SNU.IGSR, so that Tanzania ITEC can become a Research-Education-Service-Startup linked platform for SNU’s way into Africa.”