I’m very glad to meet you again and deliver my farewell speech at this special occasion to welcome the new President Noh Do Young. Although my term was over in September, now I’m having an opportunity to say my final goodbye. I’d like to express my gratitude to Director Kim Yeongduk for serving as the acting president over the past two months.

Looking back, my days as the 2^nd IBS President were eventful. I also see it as very meaningful in that I was able to complete my full five-year term, which is the longest among government-funded research institutes.

There are a lot of people to whom I am grateful.
First of all, I’d like to thank Research Center directors, the RISP director, researchers, and all IBS employees for their dedication and hard work. Especially, I’d like to express my gratitude to former and present division heads and team heads who helped me in making IBS a more advanced institute. My appreciation also goes to President Oh Se-jung of Seoul National University, who served as the 1st IBS President, Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), Selection and Evaluation Committee (SEC), research advisors, and members of other committees for steering IBS in the right direction.

IBS is required to produce outstanding research outcomes. At the same time, it is essential for the institute to attract scientists with great potential and help them grow further. By cultivating a high-quality mentoring culture, we will be able to foster the next generation of leading scientists.

When I was inaugurated as the 2^nd President, I promised to stick to the four fundamental principles of IBS: excellency, autonomy, openness, and creativity. IBS has been striving to select and support researchers based on their research excellency, secure autonomy in conducting research, adhere to openness in inflow and outflow of researchers, and pursue creative research.

My intention was to make IBS a vibrant, dynamic, and role model institute. Faithful adherence to the four principles will naturally be accompanied by excellent outcomes.

IBS has achieved a lot over the past five years.
The number of Research Centers has increased from 21 to 29. In particular, we have expanded opportunities for promising young researchers through various initiatives, including Pioneer Research Centers (PRC) and Young Scientist Fellowship (YSF).

The 1^st phase of HQ construction, our long-cherished ambition, has been completed. The 2^nd phase and campus building construction are expected to proceed smoothly. IBS HQ is located in Doryong where the 1993 Daejeon Expo was held. This new complex will serve as a research base for basic science together with the heavy-ion accelerator in Sindong.

When it comes to research outcomes, IBS has been growing rapidly. IBS researchers continue to make to the list of the Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate Analytics. This year’s number is the 2^nd largest in Korea right after Seoul National University. In addition, numerous IBS members have been appointed as fellows at world-renowned academic societies and have won prestigious awards. In terms of the Nature Index, which tracks affiliations of high-quality scientific articles, IBS was 426^th, but the institute has jumped to 166^th in only five years.

Although IBS still has a long way to go, it is certain that it is one of the fastest growing basic science research institutes in the world. Everything was possible thanks to the dedicated and concerted efforts by IBS researchers and staff. Particularly, I’m very appreciative of directors who have attracted exceptional researchers to IBS.

For the Rare Isotope Science Project, each and every one of the members is striving to make the project a success. I believe that we’ll be able to witness a successful completion of the project in two years.

However, it is regretful that IBS has not earned sufficient trust and support from domestic basic science communities and the government. It was not easy to stick to the principles of IBS in a rapidly changing environment and this is what I regret. I’m truly sorry to leave behind a lot of unfulfilled tasks.

Now, IBS is given an opportunity of a fresh start with the new President. As a former President, I’m very relieved and proud to see the inauguration of a competent President. I hope all IBS members and the new President work together to navigate through difficulties that still lay before IBS.

My best wishes to IBS and IBS members. Thank you and goodbye.