Yonsei-SERI EU Centre Revamps Role

 

 

The Yonsei-SERI EU Centre, which was established in 2009 with support from the European Union (EU), is concluding its current projects and planning to implement new institutional changes. The EU Centre is operated through a partnership with the Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI), and it received a total of 1 million euros from the EU between March 2009 and February 2013. With this funding, it ran various projects and received positive evaluations from EU-related institutes inside and outside of Korea. Based on this positive performance, the centre was selected to receive an additional 750,000 euros from the EU to support activities until May 2016.

 

 

The EU Centre strives to raise awareness of the EU domestically and abroad through outreach and networking activities, scholarship  programs, and support for Korea-EU exchanges. For instance, the center has organized exchange programs for policymakers, civil servants, politicians, scholars, and the media. It also regularly hosts international conferences, seminars, and forums.

 

For the past seven years, the EU Centre has supported the Korea-EU Forum in Brussels, which is targeted at experts and next-generation leaders from Korea and Europe. In addition, the centre networks and organizes events with other EU centres in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Oceania, while maintaining close ties with various European institutes.

 

With changes in support from the EU, the Yonsei-SERI EU Centre will soon take on a new role as the Jean-Monnet Centre of Excellence. This centre is intended to strengthen research and academic support while reducing public relations functions.