The World Health City Forum (WHCF) and the University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) signed an industry-academia cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) on June 10 at the University of Utah Asia Campus. 

Located in Songdo, Incheon, the University of Utah Asia Campus offers students the same world-class academics and American university experience as its home campus in Salt Lake City, U.S.A. The university is part of the Incheon Global Campus, which offers the same curriculum and degrees as the home campus.

Through this MOU, the two organizations will first collaborate on the successful hosting of the 2nd World Health City Forum in Songdo, Incheon this November. The theme of the forum is "Urbanization and Planetary Health, How to Create Smart Health Cities?" The collaboration will include faculty and officials from UAC's Urban Ecology Department participating as speakers and panelists, student internships, and special lectures for students. Additionally, they will cooperate on community projects aimed at creating a smart healthy city, targeting the Incheon region and its residents.

Hong Yun-Chul, Chief Executive Committee Member of the World Health City Forum, stated, "Today's agreement with the University of Utah Asia Campus signifies not only cooperation for the World Health City Forum but also strategic collaboration on designing and building a healthy future society and city."

Gregory Hill, Chief Administrative Officer of the University of Utah Asia Campus, emphasized, "Through this MOU, if the University of Utah Asia Campus and the World Health City Forum can jointly explore and devise strategies for future sustainable and resilient smart cities and planetary health, it is expected to generate significant synergy between academia and industry."

Starting with this industry-academia cooperation with the University of Utah, the World Health City Forum plans to expand agreements with various universities in Incheon, increase the participation of the younger generation in creating smart healthy cities, and enhance industry-academia cooperation with universities within Incheon.

(2024. 06. 10 From left, Yun-Chul HONG, Executive Chairman of WHCF and Gregory Hill, Chief Administrative Officer of the University of Utah Asia Campus)