Skip to main content
< Back to news
Dr. Samuel Sánchez, from the IBEC, together with Dr. Sung Chul Bae, from the UNIST. Photo / IBEC
 22.09.2025

IBEC and UNIST strengthen their collaboration by hosting a forum on next-generation bioengineering

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), based at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea, held the Next-Generation Bioengineering Forum last week in the Korean city. The event highlighted cutting-edge research in bioengineering and strengthened the collaborative ties between the two institutions.

This event reflects the ongoing collaboration between IBEC and UNIST, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at fostering academic cooperation, joint research projects, student and staff exchanges, and strategic collaborations on international research initiatives. The partnership seeks to create value in the internationalization of higher education and to promote innovation in bioengineering.

“This forum represents a unique opportunity to strengthen the collaboration between IBEC and UNIST. By sharing our latest advances in bioengineering, we are laying the groundwork for joint initiatives that can address pressing challenges in health and medicine” says IBEC’s Deputy Director of International and Institutional Affairs, Prof. Samuel Sánchez, who attended the event representing the institution.

The forum featured two sessions showcasing leading research from both centers. The IBEC session, “Frontiers in Bio-Nano Innovation,” included presentations by Prof. Samuel Sánchez on biohybrid robotics for medicine, Prof. Giuseppe Battaglia on multivalent drugs for targeting the blood-brain barrier, and Prof. César Rodriguez-Emmenegger on nature-inspired biomaterials.

The UNIST session, “Frontiers in Precision Medicine,” featured Prof. Yoon-Kyoung Cho discussing lab-on-a-chip systems for personalized medicine, Prof. Jung Hoon Park on in vivo deep tissue imaging, and Prof. Youngbin Tchoe on neural interface technologies for high-resolution brain mapping.

Dr. Josep Samitier, IBEC Director, and Dr. Sung Chul Bae, UNIST Vice President of Academic Affairs, underscored the importance of this partnership in advancing research and training the next generation of bioengineers across Spain and South Korea.

» Link to the news: IBEC website [+]