This manuscript examines the operational status of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s school-based research center for tobacco use prevention (hereafter referred to as the “research center”), aiming to conduct a self-evaluation of major accomplishments and to propose future directions for the research center. The research center was created to establish a project plan based on Seoul’s database containing information on the current situation of youth smoking and community resources and to evaluate the accomplishments and contributing projects of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education as well as individual schools. Currently, 10 researchers, including a reader with 2 teams, are involved in this research center. Since 2016, the research center has achieved accomplishments in aspects of the project related to policy support, through materializing project goals and progress directions, establishing metrics for project evaluation, and reinforcing networks. Furthermore, the research center has made contributions in aspects of technical support, such as reinforcing project capability and diversifying project targets. Stable and systematic operation of the research center hinges on the continuity of projects, reestablishment of roles in the project, acquisition of specialists from various fields, and strengthening the cooperation between communities. Therefore, a nationwide expansion of such research centers that aid school-based tobacco use prevention projects would result in significant contributions toward enhancing the project’s impact.

Tobacco, Smoking, Education, School, Adolescent