Incheon has secured the bid to host the 29th Congress and General Assembly of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr 2032), beating out major international destinations including Cape Town, Shanghai, and Mumbai.
Scheduled for August 2032 at Songdo ConvensiA, the triennial event – often referred to as the “Olympics of Crystallography” – is expected to draw approximately 3,000 experts from over 60 countries. The congress is projected to generate an estimated 25 billion won (US$18.5 million) in local economic impact.
The event highlights the growing intersection between the highly specialised field of crystallography and advanced global industries. By analysing material structures at the atomic and molecular levels, crystallography is a foundational science driving development in semiconductors, battery technology, nanotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.
Incheon’s successful bid was bolstered by its existing industrial infrastructure. Songdo currently operates as one of South Korea’s leading bio-clusters, creating strong synergies with the scientific focus of the congress.
The bidding process, which took roughly a year from initial inquiry to the final decision, leveraged the city’s strategic advantages, combining the strong local bio-industry presence with the global connectivity of Incheon International Airport and the purpose-built infrastructure of Songdo ConvensiA.
