We are delighted to announce that the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) to promote knowledge exchange and academic cooperation between both institutions.

Under the terms of the MoU, selected MAFRA staff will be able to join the IPR’s Policy Fellowship Programme and spend a fixed period of time (up to one year) at the University of Bath to focus on a personal research project that aligns with the IPR’s research portfolio. The MoU will remain in effect for an initial period of five years, after which it may be extended by mutual agreement.

The IPR is currently hosting its first visiting fellow from MAFRA and looks forward to welcoming new fellows under the terms of the MoU from September 2023.

Through this MoU, the IPR is pleased to strengthen its existing partnership with the government of South Korea. A similar collaborative arrangement is already in place with the Ministry of Employment and Labour (MOEL) and, to date, the IPR has hosted eight Visiting Policy Fellows from South Korea.

Director of the IPR, Professor Nick Pearce, adds:

‘I am very pleased that IPR is able to extend its partnership with civil servants from the government of the Republic of Korea. The partnership is of significant mutual benefit and builds on our academic links with colleagues at the Institute for Welfare State Research at Yonsei University in Seoul.’