IoT and Smart Cities Working Group.
Sang Guun Yoo, a researcher from South Korea who is collaborating as a full professor at the National Polytechnic School.
I have had the opportunity to be part of different scientific and technological research processes in various institutions, both in South Korea and Ecuador.
In Korea, I was fortunate to participate in several research projects funded by Samsung Electronics and also had the opportunity to serve as Chief Research Engineer (CTO) at LG Electronics' Research Center. During this period of my career as a researcher, I had the opportunity to work on developing innovative security solutions for mobile devices.
On the other hand, in Ecuador, I had the responsibility of leading different research projects related to the areas of computer security, internet of things and smart cities.
Through various research projects, innovative technological solutions were developed and implemented in real products. Furthermore, new knowledge was generated and shared with the global community through dozens of scientific articles.
And now, I have the pleasure of being part of the CEDIA Working Group that will be working on issues related to the Internet of Things and Smart Cities. We hope that, through this initiative, we can generate new knowledge and technological solutions that will benefit the development of Ecuador.
I learned about the call for proposals through social media. Then, I went to the CEDIA website for more detailed information. Once I understood the requirements, benefits, and responsibilities of a Working Group, I felt very motivated and took the lead in generating the initial drafts of the proposal—that is, selecting the field of action and outlining the project ideas. I shared the initial design with fellow researchers from various universities, and they showed great interest and enthusiasm. So we held several working meetings to refine the initial design ideas into more concrete proposals. I believe that the synergy created by the researchers' diverse experiences allowed us to generate a proposal of national interest. And I think this collaboration enabled our proposal to be selected as one of CEDIA 's Working Groups this year.
The proposed Working Group aims to research and develop technological solutions in the field of the Internet of Things and Smart Cities, in order to minimize the knowledge and technology gap with pioneering countries. Through this group, we hope to generate new knowledge in the area and create technological solutions that can be implemented in real-world applications to benefit Ecuadorian society. Initially, we will focus on developing smart home technologies, then expand our scope to smart buildings, and finally strive to meet the needs of the country's urban residents through smart city technologies.
We believe that the country's development should be based on synergies among the various actors in society. Through the proposed Working Group, we first hope to foster synergy among the participating universities. Subsequently, we aim to expand collaboration with other sectors. We hope to democratize the knowledge generated in research processes with other actors in the academic and scientific community through talks, seminars, and scientific and technological events. We also want to share our experiences in creating and implementing Internet of Things and smart city solutions with young entrepreneurs and private companies, so they can develop new products and services, and so we can jointly contribute to the country's economic development.
I have noticed that research in Ecuador has advanced tremendously in recent years. Both the government and academia have recognized that scientific research and technological development are the primary resources for generating sustainable development and growth in the country. I see that there is now greater government support through initiatives such as funding for research projects, funding for entrepreneurship, and scholarships for studies abroad; while academia has realized that scientific research is a fundamental pillar of its mission and has begun to encourage its faculty to participate in research and technological development processes.
However, despite the significant progress, I believe there is still a long way to go. It is clear that achieving scientific and technological development in a country requires a dynamic connection between the government, academia, and the private sector. Although recent advances in research have improved this connection, the private sector has not yet been actively involved. The application of knowledge generated by universities in private companies is minimal, and private investment in research projects is almost nonexistent.
I believe that the active participation of the private sector is truly important for several reasons. First, businesses are best positioned to understand the needs of the market/society (which are highly dynamic and constantly changing), and they are best equipped to contribute new ideas and requirements for research projects (except for basic research, which we will discuss elsewhere). Second, the knowledge and technologies generated in research processes should be applied to real products and services offered by the private sector to generate new economic resources; it is genuinely difficult for academia to generate knowledge and commercialize it simultaneously. Finally, if the private sector benefits economically from research processes, it will begin to invest in research projects, creating a virtuous cycle that benefits society. Obviously, for this virtuous cycle to occur, government support through incentives, guidance, and appropriate policies is essential.
I believe that, although we haven't yet created a perfect environment for research, we're heading in the right direction. I think that if we all work together, we can build the Ecuador that is a research-oriented and technology-developing nation we all want.
We hope to consolidate the proposed Working Group as the pioneering entity in the field of the Internet of Things and smart cities in Ecuador. We will work proactively to ensure that the Working Group generates new knowledge and technological solutions that can contribute to the country's economic and social development. Personally, I hope to continue contributing to the country's development, whether through teaching or research; I hope to give back, even if only a little, of the much I have received from the Ecuadorian people.
The first time I heard about CEDIA was through fellow researchers in Ecuador, who gave me excellent recommendations. Later, thanks to an invitation from CEDIA, I was able to collaborate on some of their research-related activities. These opportunities allowed me to learn more about the different services the organization offered and the significant contribution it made to the country's academic and scientific community.
I am one of those who firmly believe that the primary resources for generating sustainable development and growth in a country are scientific research and technological development. I believe that organizations like CEDIA, which support research and academia, are not only contributing to these areas but are also contributing to Ecuador's comprehensive and sustainable development. We hope that these organizations will continue to support the country's scientific community so that more and better results can be achieved for the benefit of Ecuadorian society.
First, I would like to send a warm greeting to the entire academic and research community of Ecuador; and at the same time indicate that the IoT and Smart Cities Working Group is open to collaborating with any proactive person or organization that wishes to contribute to the development of the country.
Additionally, I would like to invite all researchers to participate in the various calls for proposals from the CEDIANetwork. The support provided by CEDIA—financial, technological, and human—is invaluable and will undoubtedly help improve the results of your research processes.
