Dear CKC 2019 Participants, Colleagues and the AKCSE Members:

On behalf of the Organizing Committee members, I am delighted to welcome all the delegates and their guests to Banff, Canada, for the 2019 Canada-Korea Conference on Science and Technology (CKC 2019), jointly organized by the Association of Korean-Canadian Scientists and Engineers (AKCSE), and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST).

The CKC is a multidisciplinary annual conference that aims to bring together experts and leaders from academia, industry, research institutes and the governments of Canada and Korea to discuss up-to-date challenges in science, technology, and innovation (ST&I) and how we can address the challenges together. Since its first conference, CKCs have served as a major platform for not only networking with professionals from diverse areas of science and technology but also nurturing cutting-edge thought and exploring fruitful collaboration opportunities for research and development between Canada and Korea.

Canada-Korea relations grew stronger with the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2014 and accelerated by the Korea-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2015. The STI Cooperation Agreement that sets the framework for substantial cooperation in these areas was signed in December 2016 and has been in effect since May 2017. In December 2017, the first Joint Committee meeting and forum were held in Seoul, Korea.

This year’s conference theme, “Clean Technologies and Sustainable Future,” highlights a goal shared by both signatories, and demonstrates new steps taken toward bilateral R&D collaboration between the two countries. In addition to highlighting the benefits of Canada-Korea relations for clean technology development, the conference will also showcase and promote discussion for developments in the energy sector in Alberta, such as renewable energy, unconventional hydrocarbon resources, and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS).

In 2011, the AKCSE hosted our first CKC in Vancouver, British Columbia with around 120 participants. In June 2018, we hosted the 7th CKC in Vancouver with nearly 500 participants. Without a doubt, the success of this conference ultimately depends on the participation of scientists and engineers, young minds, the organizers, and the sponsoring research institutions and industry partners. As conference co-chair of the CKC 2019, I would like to thank all sponsoring organizations and companies for the generous support for the conference, and all members of the organizing committee and the local conference committee for their tireless dedication and efforts.

I am grateful to have all of you joining us at this conference, and I wish you all a pleasant and fruitful time in Banff, located in the heart of beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountain in June 2019.

Sincerely yours,

Jeong Woo Kim
Conference Co-Chair and 22^nd President of AKCSE