GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) announced that it will hold a briefing on the '2026 Honam Regional Autonomous R&D Project' on September 4 at 10 a.m. in Room 101 of the Oryong Hall. The Honam Regional Autonomous R&D Project team will outline the direction of the pilot project, which has a budget of 13.1 billion won, and detail three key technology areas.
This initiative is part of the '4 Regions, 3 Specialties Science and Technology Innovation Support Project' led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, aimed at supporting regions in planning and implementing necessary research and development projects. The '4 Regions, 3 Specialties' refers to four metropolitan areas excluding the capital region: the Central region (Daejeon, Sejong, Chungbuk, Chungnam), the Honam region (Gwangju and Jeonnam), the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, and the Southeast region (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam), along with three special autonomous regions: Gangwon, Jeonbuk, and Jeju. Unlike central government-led R&D, this project focuses on identifying and developing tasks that reflect regional industrial and research capabilities and local demand, connecting them to practical applications and commercialization. The pilot project will begin in 2026 and will expand into a full-scale project starting in 2027.
The Honam region has identified three key technology areas: semiconductors (AI and optical semiconductors), energy (renewable energy), and mobility. In the semiconductor sector, the project aims to develop 'advanced packaging and thermal management technology' to address heat issues arising from high integration of AI semiconductors, as well as 'high-reliability AI, optical, and power semiconductor technology' that operates stably in various industrial environments. In the energy sector, research will focus on 'virtual transmission line (VPL) technology' for efficient use of renewable energy without new transmission lines, sodium-ion battery-based energy storage systems (ESS), and 'next-generation clean energy technologies' such as green hydrogen and laser nuclear fusion. In the mobility sector, plans include developing 'AI autonomous manufacturing technology' that enables task switching between different industrial robots, 'battery diagnosis and recycling technology' that assesses the condition and remaining lifespan of electric vehicle batteries without disassembly, and 'AI-based mobility technology' for predicting and responding to urban traffic, safety, and disaster situations.
These projects aim to leverage the AI and semiconductor research and design capabilities and renewable energy and mobility testing foundations in Gwangju to enhance the competitiveness of local industries. The focus is on building a regionally-led R&D ecosystem that directly verifies technologies developed in laboratories in local industrial and public settings, leading to technology validation and commercialization.
The briefing will be open to researchers from academia, industry, and government, as well as relevant organizations. It will begin with remarks from Project Director Park Gi-hong, followed by an introduction to the Honam Regional Autonomous R&D Project and an explanation of the Request for Proposals (RFP), a Q&A session, and guidance on the project proposal format and application process. The Q&A session will last one hour and will provide details on the specific research projects and the application and selection procedures.
Park Gi-hong stated, 'This project is significant as it allows local researchers and businesses to directly identify the technologies needed for regional industries and collaboratively pursue everything from research and development to validation and commercialization. We hope for strong interest and participation from local academia, industry, and research stakeholders to connect the strengths of the Honam region in AI, semiconductors, renewable energy, and mobility to actual industrial competitiveness.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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