KISTI has signed a multilateral MoU on Jul.17th for the formation of the Asia Pacific Oceania Global Research Network Council (APOnet) in which six countries, including Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, participate together and commenced operation in earnest.

KISTI is building a research data superhighway that transmits massive research data in the field of large science and convergence research at high speed through the National Science and Technology Research Network (KREONET). KREONET has contributed to world-class scientific discoveries such as the discovery of Higgs particles and imaging black hole at the first in the world based on a 100 gigabyte global research network that can transmit large-scale research data.

APOnet constructed this time enables high-speed transmission of large-capacity research data in the Oceania region to research institutes in the Asia-Pacific region by interconnecting 100 gigabyte international research networks in the Oceania region as well as in the Asia-Pacific region, and is to maximize the availability of international research network services through mutual backup. It also seeks to develop and support various international applications by promoting cooperation among the research networks of participating countries.

In particular, it is expected that global collaborative research based on large-scale research data generated from large-scale research equipment such as SKA, the world's largest radio telescope being built in Australia, and the Korea-type superconducting fusion device (KSTAR), an artificial solar research device in Korea, is expected to accelerate.

Dr. Lee Hyuk-ro Lee, Director of the Science and Technology Research Network Center, said, “The high-speed transmission of massive scientific data in the data-intensive large science field called the 4th generation science through APOnet is particularly important for domestic researchers to secure scientific big data generated around the world to conduct global research without limitations.”