The government has selected six non-metropolitan graduate schools to train master's and doctoral-level talent in the fields of semiconductors, biotechnology, robotics, and aerospace defense.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will officially announce the selection of these six '2026 Specialized Graduate Schools in Advanced Industries' on August 31. A total of 22 regional graduate schools applied for the program, and the ministry evaluated each institution's educational and research capabilities, regional growth potential, and alignment with three major government mega-projects to determine the final recipients of support.
In the central region, Kongju National University was chosen as a specialized graduate school for semiconductors. In the southeastern region, Kyungsang National University was selected for aerospace defense, while Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology was chosen for semiconductors in the southwestern region. In the Daegu-Gyeongbuk area, Kyungpook National University was selected for robotics, and Kangwon National University was chosen for biotechnology in the Gangwon region. Jeonbuk National University was selected for robotics in the Jeonbuk region.
The specialized graduate schools will develop curricula that reflect industry demand and establish educational infrastructure, including experimental and practical training equipment. They will also conduct industry-academia projects where companies and students collaboratively address technical challenges faced by businesses.
Each selected university will receive up to 3 billion won annually for a maximum of five years, totaling up to 90 billion won for the six newly selected institutions over five years. The program will provide priority support for three years, followed by an evaluation for an additional two years of funding. Each university aims to enroll 45 new students annually, with a goal of training 225 master's and doctoral-level talents over five years.
Since 2023, the ministry has selected three graduate schools in the semiconductor field, and by last year, it had designated a total of 14 institutions, including six in semiconductors, four in batteries, two in displays, and two in biotechnology. These graduate schools are currently supporting approximately 1,200 master's and doctoral students, and this year marks the first inclusion of robotics and aerospace defense as supported fields. With the addition of the new graduate schools, the total number of specialized graduate schools will increase to 20.
If the talent development goals of each university are simply summed, the six new graduate schools are expected to train a total of 1,350 master's and doctoral talents over five years. The success of the program will depend on connecting highly skilled individuals educated in the region with employment opportunities or startups in local companies.
Nam Myung-woo, director of industrial policy at the ministry, stated, "We expect that the excellent master's and doctoral talents nurtured in the regions will settle and start businesses in local companies, contributing to the development of regional growth engines and balanced national development. We will support innovative talents to lead regional industries."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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