Lee Beom-gyu (left), CEO of Team Sparta, and Lee Jae-gil, head of KAIST's School of Computing, pose for a photo at a development fund donation ceremony. [KAIST]
Lee Beom-gyu (left), CEO of Team Sparta, and Lee Jae-gil, head of KAIST's School of Computing, pose for a photo at a development fund donation ceremony. [KAIST]

"I hope this gives KAIST students the opportunity to use the latest AI development agents without financial burden, boost their research productivity and problem-solving capabilities, and help spread a culture of AI-driven research."

KAIST announced Thursday that Lee Beom-gyu, CEO of AI education company Team Sparta and a KAIST alumnus, has donated 100 million won ($67,200) to the university's School of Computing to fund a generative AI agent-based research support program.

Drawing on the donation, KAIST plans to run the program for approximately two years, targeting master's and doctoral researchers across all departments. Participants will have access to the latest AI development agents, including Claude Code and Codex.

The donation marks Lee's second personal contribution to KAIST, following one in September last year.

The program will operate in six-month cycles, selecting 20 researchers per cohort. The first cohort is set to be recruited before the end of this year, with plans to expand the program's scope and bring in additional donors over the long term.

The initiative lays the groundwork for KAIST researchers to get ahead of the curve in experiencing and applying cutting-edge AI tools, amid the rapid spread of generative AI in research settings. It is also expected to foster a new research culture in which master's and doctoral students actively use AI agents in their work and share what they learn.

KAIST President Bae Choong-sik expressed gratitude to Lee for making "another meaningful donation for the next generation of researchers," adding that "the alumnus's generous contribution will serve as a solid foundation for researchers to embrace generative AI and take on new research challenges."

Lee said it was disheartening to see researchers — who will drive the technologies of the future — unable to fully use AI agents due to cost, even as those tools have already become a new standard in industry. "I hope this support becomes a small stepping stone that allows researchers to freely use state-of-the-art AI tools and produce world-class research outcomes," he said.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com