[COVER STORY] Stanford to close Korea research center after 5 years

Stanford University has announced plans to cease operations at its research center in Korea after a period of five years, due to financial and operational challenges. The closure is attributed, at least in part, to anticipated reductions in research funding from the U.S. government, according to public officials. The Stanford Center at the Incheon Global Campus (IGC) will cease all research activities this year and commence a process of winding down its operations, communicated by Julie Greicius, the associate dean for communications and alumni affairs at Stanford Engineering, via an email to The Korea Times.

Greicius noted that despite opening in June 2021, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the center faced significant financial and operational difficulties. However, she reinforced Stanford's ongoing commitment to exploring research areas such as urban sustainability and clean-energy solutions pertinent to urban settings. Despite this decision, Stanford intends to maintain its broader ties with Korea through various collaborations.

The center commenced operations in June 2021 at the Incheon Global Campus in Songdo, where it has been joined by four foreign universities and three research centers.