The Korea Institute of Materials Science holds a sign-hanging ceremony for the KIMS-GIST Joint Research Center at its headquarters in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday. [Korea Institute of Materials Science]
The Korea Institute of Materials Science holds a sign-hanging ceremony for the KIMS-GIST Joint Research Center at its headquarters in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday. [Korea Institute of Materials Science]

The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) are joining forces to develop AI-driven next-generation advanced materials.

The two institutions held a sign-hanging ceremony Tuesday to formally establish the KIMS-GIST Joint Research Center, marking the start of full-scale collaborative research in advanced materials and manufacturing. The center serves as a hub for sustained, systematic cooperation — linking the research capabilities and infrastructure of both institutions to drive joint research, technology collaboration and personnel exchange.

The center aims to identify AI-based next-generation advanced materials and manufacturing technologies that can proactively address future industrial and social changes. In line with the government's "ultra-innovation economy" policy direction, the two institutions have designated next-generation solar energy, green hydrogen and intelligent semiconductors as key areas of cooperation, with plans to pursue phased joint research reflecting each institution's research strengths and industry demand.

To that end, the center will combine GIST's Next-Generation Energy Research Institute — which brings energy research infrastructure and fundamental and original research capabilities — with the materials, components and systems technology, manufacturing processes, and testing, evaluation and reliability verification expertise of KIMS's Energy and Environmental Materials Research Division.

The center also plans to integrate AI transformation into the research and development process to improve the efficiency of materials design and manufacturing, and to build a full-cycle cooperation framework spanning basic and original research through technology verification, demonstration and industrial application. A feedback loop will also be established to channel research and verification results back into technology development.

"At a time when the transition to renewable energy and the advancement of AI have become central to national competitiveness, innovation in finished products is impossible without innovation in materials," KIMS President Choi Cheol-jin said. "I hope this joint research center will serve as an important milestone in realizing our vision of becoming a materials powerhouse and securing sovereignty over future advanced technologies."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com