Dates: April 13 – 16, 2026
Location: Incheon and Yeosu, South Korea
As part of its international engagement strategy, NexusForum.EU will host a 3-day event in South Korea in April 2026, strengthening EU–South Korea collaboration across the Cloud-Edge-IoT and Cognitive Computing Continuum domains. The programme will consist of a sequence of strategic events, engaging diverse stakeholders from research, industry, and policy across both regions.
As declared by the European Commission, “through the Digital Partnership, the EU and the ROK will continue joint work on research and innovation on emerging technologies, such as semiconductors, 6G, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies. This cooperation is designed to boost future competitiveness and technological leadership while building stronger economic security through greater resilience in critical technologies, including cybersecurity.” The NexusForum EU-South Korea Digital Convergence Week 2026 aims to foster deeper ties with South Korean counterparts in alignment with the EU’s digital sovereignty goals, international cooperation roadmaps, and the global competitiveness of European technology ecosystems.
Objectives of the event
- Strengthen bilateral collaboration on Cloud-Edge-IoT, AI, and data infrastructure between the EU and South Korea and identify concrete areas for collaboration and partners.
- Present NexusForum.EU’s recommendations for R&I and Policy priorities in the EU with South Korean counterparts.
- Engage South Korean academic institutions and researchers with European research and innovation initiatives.
- Foster alignment with policymakers and regulatory developments.
- Promote international alignment of standards, open-source strategies, and digital policy frameworks.
- Encourage participation in upcoming EU projects and technology cooperation frameworks.
During the week, the following 3 events are taking place.
- Day 1: EU-South Korea Digital Policy and Industry Convergence, 13th April 2026, Yonsei University International Campus, Incheon (Free event, register below)
- Day 2: EU-South Korea Fostering Research Beyond Borders, 14th April 2026, Yonsei University International Campus, Incheon (Free event, register below)
- Day 3: NexusForum.EU booth co-located at JCCI conference, 16th April 2026, Yeosu (Paid registration; visit https://jcci.kr/)
Agenda
EU-South Korea Digital Policy and Industry Convergence, 13th April 2026, Yonsei University, International Campus, 85 Songdogwahak-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea
Welcome and Introduction to Day 1- Digital Partnership context
Speaker: Monique Calisti – CEO, Martel Innovate
Introduction to NexusForum
Speaker: Maria-Angeliki Evliati – Senior Project Manager, RISE
Keynote – Present and future of digital innovation in Europe
Speaker: Mr Walter Van Hattum – Head of the Trade Section, EU Delegation to Republic of Korea
Keynote – K-AI Policy Direction
Speaker: Gong Jin-Ho, Director, Artificial Intelligence Policy Planning Division, Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea
NexusForum.EU – Digital Policy in a nutshell
Speaker: Sachiko Muto – Senior Researcher, RISE
Sovereignty in Motion: Your voice on EU-Korea collaboration
Speaker: Sachiko Muto – Senior Researcher, RISE
Coffee break
High level policy panel – EU-ROK Digital Policy Convergence
Moderator: Monique Calisti – Chief Executive Officer, Martel Innovate
Speakers:
Rainer Wessely – EU Delegation to Republic of Korea
Ko Yoon-Seok – Vice-President, NIA (National Information Society Agency)
Tomasz Wierzbowski – EURAXESS to ROK, Euraxess representative to the Republic of Korea
Daeyeon Cho – Korean strategy for the data space model; Board Member – International Data Research & Cooperation Organisation, Ministry of Science and ICT, Seoul National University
Industrial ecosystem panel – EU-ROK digital innovation
Moderator: Sachiko Muto – Senior Researcher, RISE
Speakers:
Monique Calisti – Chief Executive Officer, Martel Innovate
Ian Marsh – Senior Researcher, RISE
Eneko Osaba – Principal Researcher, Tecnalia
Lunch break
EU-ROK digital strategy and ecosystem recap
Speaker: Eneko Osaba – Principal Researcher, Tecnalia
Korea R&I landscape & Horizon Europe: future opportunities
Speaker: Maia Myung-Soon KIM – South Korea NCP, Korea NCP Network
Euraxess Services
Speaker: Tomasz Wierzbowski – EURAXESS to ROK, Euraxess representative to the Republic of Korea
Coffee break
Horizon Europe: Projects Showcase – Policy and Standardisation
Moderator: Leonardo Tonetto – Technical Project Manager, Martel Innovate
Speakers:
Sujin Son – Director, Sundosoft Co., Ltd
Kyeong-Sik Min – Professor, School of Electrical Engineering, Kookmin Univ., Seoul, Korea
Hyunwhan Joe – Seoul National University
Samuel Romero FORTINO – Researcher, Seoul National University
Invitation to Day 2 and NexusForum announcements
Speaker: Maria-Angeliki Evliati – Senior Project Manager, RISE
Closing and acknowledgment
Speaker: Monique Calisti – CEO, Martel Innovate
EU-South Korea Fostering Research Beyond Borders, 14th April 2026, Yonsei University, International Campus, 85 Songdogwahak-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Speaker: Maria-Angeliki Evliati – Senior Project Manager, RISE
Objectives of Day 2 and contributing to NexusForum.EU Research & Innovation Roadmap presentation
Speaker: Thomas Ohlson Timoudas – Senior Researcher, RISE
Keynote 1: Emerging Technologies & the Future of EU–ROK Research Collaboration
Speaker: Jong-Souk (John) Yeo – Professor, Yonsei University
Keynote 2: Future of EU-ROK Research Collab
Speaker: Stefan Wendin – Director of Scalable Systems, RISE
Panel 1: AI, Cybersecurity and Supply Chains: Building Resilience through Open Source and Global Collaboration
Moderator: Monique Calisti – CEO, Martel Innovate
Speakers:
Ciaran O’Riordan – Eclipse Foundation
Yunseong Choi – Member, Security Special Committee, Presidential Council on National AI Strategy, Republic of Korea Intelligence Strategy
Taek Wan Kim – President & CEO, OSBC
Sungjoon Moon – FOSS For All
Sachiko Muto – Senior Researcher, RISE
Coffee break
Presentation: Cybersecurity & Cyber-Resilience Priorities in the EU ecosystem
Speaker: Iraklis Symeonidis – Senior Researcher, RISE
Panel 2: Fireside chat: 6G and future networks
Moderator: Iraklis Symeonidis – Senior Researcher, RISE
Speakers:
Ian Marsh – Senior Researcher, RISE
Dr. Taesik Cheung – Assistant Vice President, Network Research Division at ETRI
Lunch break
Presentation: Building an EU–ROK Quantum Ecosystem
Speaker: Eneko Osaba – Principal Researcher, Tecnalia
Panel 3: Next-generation AI: From efficient chips to scalable intelligence
Moderator: Thomas Ohlson Timoudas – Senior Researcher, RISE
Speakers:
Prof. Sangyeob Kim – Efficient Artificial Intelligence Semiconductor System Laboratory, Yonsei University EASY LAB
Nasung Park – Business Development, HyperAccel
Jay Shin – CEO/Co-Founder, Trillion Labs
Jaemin Yoo – Assistant Professor, Seoul National University
Project pitch session – Research
Moderator: Tajana Medakovic – Project Manager, F6S
Speakers:
Jin Jang – Professor (GRASP project)
Jiyoung Suh – Senior Researcher, Science & Technology Policy Institute (AIOLIA project)
JaeSeung Song – Professor at Sejong University (INPACE project)
Closing Remarks
Speakers:
Maria-Angeliki Evliati – Senior Project Manager, RISE
JeongGil Ko – Associate Professor, Yonsei University
Farewell Coffee
NexusForum.EU booth at JCCI Conference, 16th April 2026, Yeosu
Paid registration; visit https://jcci.kr/