Age of Localization: 'Leading Suwon's Development'

The 'Suwon Development Research Center,' which opened on the second floor of Ajou University's Yulgok Hall in 2003, was established through a partnership agreement between Suwon City and Ajou University to systematically research issues related to Suwon's regional development and municipal affairs, with the goal of cultivating Suwon into a competitive city.

The 'Suwon Development Research Center' was the first research institute to be established through a partnership agreement between a local government and a private organization (Ajou University), and was introduced as part of an initiative to activate local governance.

Composed of six members total, including Professor Kim Young-rae from Ajou University's School of Social Sciences as director, three full-time researchers, and research assistants, the 'Suwon Development Research Center' is focusing its research on Suwon City's transportation, roads, environment, urban planning, and general administration.

Since its establishment in 2003, it has been operating with an average annual budget of 400 million won. This includes 200 million won from Suwon City and 200 million won in research costs from Ajou University itself.

Over the past year, the center has conducted research including policy development studies for introducing green transportation in Suwon City, surveys on bicycle usage and activation strategies, and plans for establishing integrated water management for creating a globally-recognized environmental city.

In particular, from June 20 to October 31 of last year, under the collaboration of Suwon City's Roads Division officials and Kim Sook-hee, a Ph.D. in engineering at the 'Suwon Development Research Center,' a project titled 'Survey on Bicycle Usage and Activation Strategies' was completed with 100% results.

This year, in preparation for an aging society, the center plans to focus intensively on research that links all matters related to Suwon City's transportation, environment, and roads sectors with aging society concerns.

Lee Jong-gu, Secretary General of the Suwon Development Research Center, states: "Through human networks involving Ajou University's expert faculty and students in conducting research, Suwon City's tasks are being processed efficiently," and explains, "There is the advantage of requiring significantly less budget compared to outsourcing to other companies."

On average, the center handles 3 basic projects and 4 commissioned projects per year. In addition, it hosts transportation-related workshops and forums, collects innovative success cases from other regions and provides them to Suwon City, and serves an advisory role in policy matters. Furthermore, it is continuously preparing research on river networks and Suwon City's transportation forums.

Other local governments are already actively benchmarking the 'Suwon Development Research Center,' and in particular, Yongin City has established its own research institute by benchmarking the 'Suwon Development Research Center.'

Secretary General Lee pointed out budget shortage issues and pledged to make efforts for more efficient research and improved operations.