STARKVILLE, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi State University (MSU) and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) have renewed a set of agreements designed to drive joint research, innovation and workforce development in advanced manufacturing and industrial technology.

The updated partnership will pave the way for new joint projects. MSU’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) and KITECH’s Research Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology are working together to establish a joint Center for Root Technologies, focusing on core manufacturing technologies such as casting, molding, welding/joining and other related fields.

The formal partnership includes a memorandum of understanding, international research collaboration agreement, and a memorandum outlining the Center for Root Technologies.

“We are grateful for outstanding international partners like KITECH,” said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. “These collaborations help us advance key scientific fields and support economic activity at home and abroad.”

According to officials, the agreements provide pathways for the exchange of technical and scientific information, joint participation in industrial research projects, faculty/student exchanges, joint seminars, international proposal development and more.

The two organizations have worked together since 2012, when initial agreements laid the foundation for research exchange and collaboration.