Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
한국과학기술원

South Korea

KAIST is the first and top science and technology university in Korea. In the wake of its 50th anniversary, KAIST is scaling up new research initiatives in order to become a ‘first mover.’ This is in line with its plan to pivot away from its previous role as a ‘fast follower,’ a role that led to Korea’s rapid industrialization.

Established in 1971 by the Korean government, KAIST was tasked with the very clear institutional mission to make innovations that would drive the country’s economic growth engine, especially in the fields of ICT and electronics. KAIST has fully achieved its institutional mission, creating a very successful educational model that is now being benchmarked by many other countries.

Turning 50 years old in 2021, its R&D strategy has shifted to focus on creating global value for the future. Among others, the Global Singularity Research Project aims to identify the most critical projects which will make the biggest difference in people’s lives.

This innovative research project selects the two most creative and future-oriented research projects every year. Young researchers’ projects on new materials, neuro-rehabilitation, and brain function redesign selected as this research program will surely bring breakthroughs which will serve as game changers for the future.

For more information on KAIST research, visit https://www.kaist.ac.kr/en/html/research/04.html

1 May 2019 - 30 April 2020

Region: Global
Subject/journal group: All

The table to the right includes counts of all research outputs for Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) published between 1 May 2019 - 30 April 2020 which are tracked by the Nature Index.

Hover over the donut graph to view the FC output for each subject. Below, the same research outputs are grouped by subject. Click on the subject to drill-down into a list of articles organized by journal, and then by title.

Note: Articles may be assigned to more than one subject area.

Count	Share
380	155.09

Outputs by subject (Share)

Subject	Count	Share
Chemistry	160	75.54
Physical Sciences	206	80.69
Life Sciences	95	30.18
Earth & Environmental Sciences	3	0.43

Highlight of the month

Breastfeeding can reduce risk of diabetes via serotonin

A new study reveals why breastfeeding is beneficial for the health of the mother as well as her baby, reducing her risk of developing diabetes after childbirth.

Pregnancy and childbirth can significantly disrupt a mother’s metabolism and sometimes lead to diabetes. Previous studies had found that breastfeeding reduces this risk.

Now, by comparing mice and human mothers that lactated with those that didn’t, a team led by researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has found the links between breastfeeding and the reduced risk of diabetes.

Breastfeeding triggers the release of the hormone serotonin. The team discovered that serotonin boosts both the number and health of beta cells in the pancreas, which are involved in the production of insulin. This in turn provides long-term protection against developing diabetes.

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