Sungkonghoe University research team selected for Korea’s SSK global agenda program

A Sungkonghoe University research team has been selected for the Korea Research Foundation’s 2026 Social Sciences Korea global agenda program, the university said. The project will run for three years, from September 2026 through August 2029.

Led by Lee Sang-yoon, director of the university’s ESG Management Research Institute, the study will respond to the SSK mega-agenda, “Coexistence and mutual prosperity in the era of the climate crisis.” Its aim is to identify how climate-industry supply and demand can remain connected in a self-reinforcing cycle.

Researchers from Salisbury University in the United States, the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, Yonsei University and Honam University will take part, along with researcher Lee Eun-jung. Their areas of work include climate-industry investment, innovation ecosystems, AI analysis, environmentally friendly consumer behavior, Chinese and emerging-market economies, and international cooperation.

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The climate crisis cannot be solved through technology development alone. An ecosystem approach is needed in which technology and investment, markets and consumers move together.

The team views the climate crisis not only as an environmental problem but also as a social and economic challenge that changes industries, companies, investment and consumer behavior at the same time. It plans to examine how patient capital from governments and investors can support climate technology and corporate innovation, while market growth and changing consumer behavior generate further investment and innovation.

The researchers also plan to use AI and regional data for analysis and policy simulations. They aim to propose policies for the growth and global expansion of Korea’s climate industry. “The climate crisis cannot be solved through technology development alone. An ecosystem approach is needed in which technology and investment, markets and consumers move together,” said Kang Kwang-wook of Salisbury University.

Lee said the project aims to connect concern about the climate crisis to practical changes in industry and markets. The university said it would support the ESG institute’s development as a hub for domestic and international climate-industry research and explore links between research capacity and education.

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Our goal is not to leave awareness of the climate crisis within research, but to connect it to practical changes in industry and markets.