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Highlights from the 2024 KDIS-CRAFT Final Presentations

  • Date 2024-12-16 13:49
  • CategoryResearch and Education
  • Hit1081

On Thursday, December 12th, KDI School held the 2024 KDIS-CRAFT final presentation in Ambassador Hall. CRAFT (Collaborative Research and Advanced Fellowship Team) shares insight into potential development projects. It is a student-driven space where KDIS scholars with similar interests in academic and business research opportunities can come together and work on projects and further their knowledge and capabilities. It addresses real-world problems, offering students a chance to tackle real-world issues. 

Four teams, Cultores (Cultivators), Empirical Labour Research Club (ELRC), Central American Countries, and Eco-synergy, presented their projects before an eager audience of listeners both virtually and physically.

Eco-synergy , first presenters, were a 5-member team under the mentorship of Professor Seung-Joo Lee that focused their topic on ecosynergy. The project proposed sustainable business models for small restaurants along beach areas in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Maldives with South Korea as the benchmark. At the core of their research was the belief that sustainable futures begin with today’s actions and ideas. The team’s project focused on key areas such as sustainable energy, waste management, and community-driven solutions, showcasing their research-backed strategies to promote a greener and healthier future.

The Eco-synergy team traveled to Jeju island for their research. In Jeju, they noted the sustainable practices of restaurants along the beach, including the existence of umbrella-based restaurants that minimize environmental footprint by avoiding permanent construction and preserve natural landscapes and ecosystems. They also observed the eco-friendly packing of foods by restaurants to promote environmental conservation by utilizing bio-degradable products and minimizing waste management, with the latter plaguing the recipient countries of the recommendations. 

Through compelling visuals and thoughtful analysis, the Eco-synergy team showcased a bold vision for tackling environmental challenges through innovative solutions. The team members emphasized the importance of reducing environmental footprints by adopting small yet impactful practices. From renewable energy proposals to strategies for minimizing waste, the presentation underscored how sustainable models can be implemented in daily life, businesses, and communities.

Pivoting away from environmental conservation, the second team, Cultores, pitched their research on an Impact Analysis Model for Cultural ODA. The 3-member team was under the stewardship of Prof. Changkeun Lee. The Cultores team assessed cultural ODA projects in regional development and proposed an evaluation matrix for cultural programs’ efficacy. 

Their work was driven by a recognition of the overlooked importance of culture in fostering development. Cultores posited that culture plays a vital role in driving local economies, fostering social cohesion, and advancing urban development. However, its significance is underrepresented in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), limiting its integration into broader sustainability frameworks. To address this gap, they put forth the proposition that there is a clear need to embed culture into the post-2030 agenda through actionable and impactful models.

The next team, Central American Countries, focused on fintech. Under the supervision of Professor Seohyun Lee, they centered their research on fostering financial development in Central America through fintech. The 5-member team, cognizant of limited access to formal banking—below 50% in Guatemala and Nicaragua—investigated how fintech solutions can bridge financial inclusion gaps in the region. Their study highlighted the disparity with developed countries like the U.S. 

The Central American region hosts 48 fintech firms in Costa Rica, compared to 722 in Brazil, revealing untapped market potential. The team developed a financial platform, CAFT, a proposed peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform, that aims to address this gap by offering inclusive, digital financial services. Their findings emphasized the transformative potential of fintech to promote accessible, low-cost financial solutions.

The range of topics grew even broader during the CRAFT session with the last team, ELRC (Empirical Labor Research Club), presenting their research on labor force participation change during post-COVID-19. Their study delved into the recovery of employment following the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on understanding the long-term effects of the employment shock. They thoroughly analyzed the employment status of individuals who had been unemployed since the end of the pandemic, examining how their situations have evolved. The team aimed to determine the extent to which these individuals have re-entered the workforce or found alternative employment opportunities, shedding light on the broader economic recovery process and the challenges faced by those still affected by job loss after COVID-19's peak.

The 2024 KDIS-CRAFT final presentation was a remarkable showcase of student-led innovation, offering actionable solutions to real-world challenges. With interactive discussions enriched by audience questions and feedback, the session fostered a dynamic learning environment. Each team demonstrated exceptional research, creativity, and teamwork, addressing global issues like sustainability, cultural development, fintech innovation, and labor force dynamics. This event highlighted the power of collaborative, student-driven research to inspire change and create practical pathways for a better future.


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MULAMA, Cynthia Onyere

2023 Fall / MDP / Kenya

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