NST links 23 research institutes with unified digital platform

A digital collaboration platform linking 23 government-funded science and technology research institutes is now in full operation. A single messenger app lets researchers from different institutes communicate and carry out joint research, while also enabling building access and requests for overseas academic materials.

The National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) said Wednesday that it has officially rolled out and is operating an integrated collaboration platform — "ONEST Messenger" and "ONEST Knowledge Portal" — across its 23 member institutes.

The platform consolidates support services that had previously been scattered across individual institutes into a single collaboration system. Its core purpose is to lower barriers between institutes so that researchers from all 23 organizations can communicate and conduct joint research within one digital environment.

Its main concept is "One UI, Multiplex." A single sign-on gives users access to a range of support services, including the integrated messenger, a collaboration system and shared building access.

The integrated messenger supports individual, group and collaborative chats. Beyond simple conversation, it functions as a kind of "control tower" that links to other digital transformation services.

"Works," a feature built for project-based joint research, lets users create dedicated collaboration spaces to store and share documents and sync with tools such as Google Calendar to manage tasks in real time.

The platform also cuts down on the once-complex process of issuing visitor passes whenever researchers moved between institutes, simplifying inter-institute access procedures through a shared access system.

Users can also request photocopies of overseas academic materials through the platform. Researcher profiles allow members to check colleagues' areas of expertise and research achievements at other institutes, making it easier to find partners for joint research.

NST began rolling out the platform on Aug. 28 and plans to gradually expand institute-specific customized features and AI-based research support services.

In particular, NST will introduce AI-based integrated search and an AI chatbot tailored to the institutes in stages. The aim is to let researchers quickly find and use the research and administrative information they need without having to check multiple separate systems individually.

The name "ONEST" was the most preferred option in a survey of NST and institute staff conducted last year. It combines the aspiration behind "1st" — meaning best in the world — with the idea of research institutes connecting and cooperating with one another.

NST Chairman Kim Young-sik said, "ONEST Messenger and Knowledge Portal mark a new beginning that connects the 23 institutes into a single digital collaboration ecosystem. We will actively utilize AI technology to build a research environment where researchers can communicate and collaborate more freely, and strengthen the research competitiveness of the institutes."