South Gyeongsang Province is throwing its weight behind Gyeongsang National University as the school competes for a major national project run by the Ministry of Education — informally known as "Create 10 Seoul National Universities" — aimed at cultivating regional talent. The strategy centers on integrating AI into the aerospace and defense industries to build a pan-Yeongnam hub for research, development and talent training.
Gyeongsang National University signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday at its Gajwa Campus in Jinju with the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to establish and operate a joint research institute for aerospace, defense and core AI technology. The signing was attended by Gyeongsang National University President Kwon Jin-hoe, UNIST President Park Jong-rae, KAI CEO Kim Jong-chul, South Gyeongsang Province university cooperation division chief Ha Jeong-su, and officials from Jinju and Sacheon.
The agreement gives concrete shape to Gyeongsang National University's vision for a "specialized convergence research institute" focused on growth-engine industries. The three institutions will use the joint lab as a base for collaborative research on core aerospace and defense technologies and for training the skilled professionals the industry needs.
The convergence institute will link Gyeongsang National University's aerospace and defense research capabilities, UNIST's foundational AI technology and KAI's hands-on industry experience into a single platform. The goal is to build a virtuous industry-academia-research cycle in which research outcomes feed directly into talent development and corporate practice.
The joint lab is designed around the government-promoted "industry-integrated university model." Companies will participate in curriculum design and contribute industry experts as adjunct professors, giving students direct exposure to field technologies and practical skills.
Once Gyeongsang National University establishes a president-level "specialized convergence research institute," the joint lab will be incorporated as one of its core research bodies. That institute will serve as a control tower overseeing cooperation among the university, research institutions and companies.
The Ministry of Education's growth-engine regional talent development project will select three universities from among nine regional national universities nationwide. Each selected university is expected to receive a package of support for education, research and facility expansion, along with an additional budget of about 100 billion won ($66.4 million) per school above the previous year's allocation.
The ministry will accept university proposals through the end of July, then conduct reviews by a working committee and deliberations by a pan-government steering council before announcing the selected universities in mid-September. Competition is expected to be fierce in the Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang region, as Pusan National University and Gyeongsang National University — both regional national universities in the same area — will be vying against each other.
Gyeongsang National University is positioning pan-regional cooperation, AI convergence and industry-integrated education as its differentiating strengths. After establishing a College of Aerospace in 2024, the university completed the statutory process in May to set up a College of Aerospace and Defense, enabling student recruitment and curriculum operation from the 2027 academic year.
In April, the university created an AI convergence institute and restructured its academic organization around a manufacturing AI department, further aligning its education and research framework with the aerospace, defense and AI convergence agenda.
South Gyeongsang Province plans to support the university's bid by connecting regional industrial assets — including Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), KAI and the national aerospace industrial complex — with the university's research and education capabilities.
"This agreement will serve as an opportunity to highlight Gyeongsang National University's specialized strengths in aerospace, defense and AI," said Ha Jeong-su, the provincial university cooperation division chief. "We will spare no support or cooperation to see South Gyeongsang Province emerge as a hub for advanced talent, all the way through to final selection."
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