DGIST launches full-cycle AI talent platform, from gifted youth programs to deep tech startups

DGIST President Lee Geon-woo delivers a welcoming address. [Courtesy of DGIST]

The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) is launching a full-cycle AI talent development platform aimed at turning Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province into a hub for artificial intelligence and AI transformation (AX) expertise. The initiative links gifted education at the elementary, middle and high school levels with a new AI college, joint corporate research and deep tech startup support — all within a single growth pathway designed to produce AI professionals ready for industry.

DGIST unveiled its key priorities for AI and AX talent development Friday at a press briefing for reporters covering the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The core idea is to move beyond college-entrance-focused schooling and theory-heavy AI curricula, giving students hands-on experience in identifying problems, carrying out projects, developing prototypes and launching startups.

The first component is an AX gifted education platform. In March, DGIST launched its "AI/SW SCHOOL" for students from sixth grade through 10th grade in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Rather than grouping students by year, the program runs on a grade-free, level-based track tailored to each student's abilities. It provides more than 100 hours per year of integrated science and AI/software education, with project-based learning to build practical problem-solving skills.

Youth entrepreneurship education will also be expanded. Working with partners including Kakao, DGIST will introduce a junior startup pipeline running through a Coding Lab, a Rookie Camp and a Tech for Impact Campus. Students will experience the full startup process — from defining a problem to developing a minimum viable product and presenting at a demo day.

DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology). [Herald DB]

University-level education is also being restructured. Starting with the 2027 academic year, DGIST plans to admit 200 students annually to a new AI college — 100 undergraduates, 50 master's students and 50 doctoral students — and grow total enrollment to 700 by 2030. A fast-track option will allow students to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree within five years, enabling a quicker move into research or startup activity.

The college's three departments are designed with direct industry application in mind: Physical AI, targeting robotics and manufacturing; Medical AI, focused on healthcare data and health services; and X-AI, covering AI applications across science and engineering. Curricula will be designed by adjunct professors from industry and field specialists. In the Physical AI area, DGIST is working with the chief executive of domestic startup Maum AI to shape a curriculum that reflects real industry needs. The institute is also in discussions with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on joint research and student exchange.

Startup development and regional industry linkages are also part of the plan. DGIST will establish an Innovation Startup Center to serve as a control tower overseeing technology scouting, startup education, commercialization, investment connections and global expansion. In robotics, semiconductors and advanced biotech — the three priority sectors — companies will station researchers at DGIST through AX joint research labs to solve technical challenges and bring solutions to market.

DGIST President Lee Geon-woo answers questions from reporters. [Courtesy of DGIST]

DGIST will also oversee a large-scale project to drive industrial transformation across Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Through the "4-Pole 3-Special Science and Technology Innovation Support Project," which runs for five years from 2026 with a budget of 253.1 billion won (about $166 million), the institute will support core technology development and regional rollout in mobility, robotics and system semiconductors. The strategy combines Daegu's AI and software capabilities with North Gyeongsang Province's manufacturing base to establish the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region as a national hub for strategic technology innovation.

"Universities cannot remain ivory towers," DGIST President Lee Geon-woo said. "DGIST will break through the limits of traditional academic institutions and reinvent itself as a global epicenter of deep tech innovation."

rim@heraldcorp.com