Global

NAIRL and Vector Institute Sign MOU to Advance AI Research Collaboration

July 5, 2026

Kee-Eung Kim, Director of NAIRL (left), and Pascal Poupart, Research Director at the Vector Institute and Professor at the University of Waterloo, present the memorandum of understanding at the NAIRL-Vector Institute MOU signing ceremony, held on July 5 in Seoul. [Source=NAIRL]

National AI Research Lab (NAIRL) and Canada’s Vector Institute marked their partnership to advance international collaboration in AI research and education with a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony on July 5 in Seoul. The ceremony was held during the RIKEN-Vector-NAIRL Workshop, where researchers from the three institutions gathered to share their work and explore avenues for collaboration.

Through the partnership, the two institutions intend to broaden opportunities for exchange between their research communities and to strengthen cooperation in machine learning and frontier AI research over the coming years.

Kee-Eung Kim, Director of NAIRL (left), and Pascal Poupart of the Vector Institute shake hands at the MOU signing ceremony in Seoul on July 5. [Source=NAIRL]

The two sides expressed a shared hope that the partnership would serve as a foundation for deeper collaboration ahead, connecting researchers in Korea and Canada and contributing to a stronger global AI research community.

The Vector Institute, established in 2017 through the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to research excellence in machine learning and deep learning, and is known for attracting leading global talent in the field.

NAIRL extends its gratitude to the Vector Institute delegation for joining the workshop and marking this partnership together. NAIRL will continue to connect Korea’s research community with leading frontier AI institutions worldwide, fostering an ecosystem where research drives both scientific discovery and industrial innovation.