Empty streets nearby the Duomo in Florence are just a vivid example of the life stopped being fun or productive.Bertrand Russell once remarked that war does not determine who is right – only who is left. Our global fight with the current COVID-19 pandemic is, as many experts predict, likely to determine who is left after all. Who or which country or which industry or which sector will be left in the end?

century. Given the scope and scale of the challenges, the Forum will explore multiple dimensions of global transformation ranging from politics, economics, and education to S&T and medicine in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Major themes of the Forum include: ^stThe inaugural Global Stratey Forum of KAIST invites global authorities in various fields to tackle the challenges lying ahead in the world stricken with the deadliest epidemic in the 21

(i)     Global agenda for cooperation to control and predict the spatio-temporal spread of infectious diseases;

(ii)    Research collaboration to explore and develop S&T solutions to prevent or cure the infection; and

(iii)   Understanding and preparing for major changes in post-coronavirus global society  

How each of us – as an individual or as a society – fights this pandemic will be the ultimate litmus test of our own values and institutions, let alone our fate as humanity. The Forum will be a valuable resource and opportunity for all of us keen to envision the world after the COVID-19 and engage all the relevant stakeholders in the path to global solidarity.