Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs research organization has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). This MoU provides a framework for the two parties to cooperate on R&D projects into critical technology areas of communications.

The joint research activity is expected to focus on: wireless technologies, networks and applications, advanced optical communications and network applications and fundamental studies in the enabling sciences, including mathematical sciences, computer science and physics. Specific support terms and conditions will be further defined in future discussions.

“The Ministry of Knowledge Economy is a shining, innovative model of proactive government engagement in supporting the development of a national innovation culture – one that will generate new technologies at the forefront of IT and communications,” said Jeong Kim, president of Bell Labs. “We are proud to partner with the ministry’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and see this as just the first step in a deep and longstanding engagement between Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs and the government of Korea and its scientists to generate fundamental innovations that will change the world around us.”

Mun-kee Choi, president of ETRI, commented, "With this agreement we hope to combine Bell Labs unmatched fundamental research expertise with ETRI's proven capabilities in developing applications and technologies. The combination of these two powerful institutions should make it possible to innovate state-of-the-art IT and communications infrastructure and help Korea further its goal of world-class leadership in IT technologies.”