Building Bridges in Polymer Science: Achievements and Future Perspectives of Korea–Germany Cooperation

The year 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Polymer Society of Korea (PSK), celebrating Korea’s remarkable growth from a late entrant in polymer science to a global leader in commodity polymer production and advanced functional materials research. This success has been supported not only by domestic innovation but also by strong international collaborations, particularly with Germany.

Germany occupies a unique position in polymer science through the pioneering work of Prof. Hermann Staudinger, whose macromolecular concept established the foundation of modern polymer chemistry. Supported by leading universities, Max-Planck and Fraunhofer Institutes, and major companies such as BASF, Bayer, Merck, and Wacker. Germany continues to lead global polymer research and innovation.

Since the 1st Korea-Germany Polymer Symposium in 1991, researchers from both countries have built a productive partnership through bilateral symposia, NRF & DFG joint projects, and extensive researcher exchanges. A notable achievement was the International Research Training Group (IRTG, 2006–2015), which involved about 60 researchers and generated numerous joint publications, patents, educational programs, and long term collaborations.

This lecture reviews 35 years of Korea-Germany cooperation in polymer science, highlights major scientific achievements arising from bilateral collaborations, and discusses the important role of international networking in advancing polymer research and educating future generations of scientists. As global challenges and opportunities continue to expand in areas such as advanced functional polymers, sustainable polymer technologies, energy related polymer materials, biomedical and healthcare polymers, and smart selfhealing materials, strengthened Korea-Germany cooperation will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of polymer science and technology.