Members of the Energy Materials Commercialization AX Research Center (E-MatAX) pose for a photo after the launch ceremony. [DGIST]
Members of the Energy Materials Commercialization AX Research Center (E-MatAX) pose for a photo after the launch ceremony. [DGIST]

A large-scale industry-academia-government project aimed at dramatically cutting the time and cost of energy materials development — and speeding commercialization — through AI has officially gotten underway.

DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) said it held a two-day "2026 InnoCORE Kick-off" event beginning Tuesday, formally launching the Energy Materials Commercialization AX Research Center, known as E-MatAX, to lead AI-based energy materials commercialization.

E-MatAX aims to integrate AI across the entire energy materials research cycle — from materials design and manufacturing processes to performance prediction, demonstration and commercialization. The center plans to build a unified AI platform spanning energy production, conversion and storage, substantially reducing the time and cost currently required for materials development.

Particular emphasis will be placed on strengthening collaboration with companies and government-funded research institutes to ensure research results move quickly from papers and laboratories into industrial applications.

The center operates under the InnoCORE program and will run through December 2030. Led by DGIST, 33 faculty members from eight domestic universities will carry out the project across four research pillars: a materials and process AI platform, energy production, energy conversion and energy storage.

More than 29 major companies and government-funded research institutes — including Samsung Electronics, LG Energy Solution and POSCO — will participate as partners. The center plans to build an industry-academia-government ecosystem linking AI and materials engineering research through to industrial application.

The center is also investing in developing the next generation of researchers who can work across both AI and materials science. It will run an "InnoCORE Fellow" program with a standing cohort of 25 postdoctoral researchers.

Fellows will lead research under a multi-mentor system involving DGIST and university faculty alongside industry experts. Contracts are renewable for up to five years through annual performance reviews, and the center expects to produce around 50 next-generation researchers over the life of the project.

Three tailored career development tracks — academic research, industry placement and entrepreneurship — will also be offered to help researchers grow in line with their individual career goals.

"To accelerate the commercialization of energy materials, what matters most is not just AI technology itself, but cultivating outstanding researchers who can handle materials, processes and AI in an integrated way," said Heo Su-mi, director of E-MatAX. "We will nurture capable postdoctoral researchers and establish ourselves as an innovation platform that leads AI-based energy materials research on a global scale."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com