Pusan National University, Chonnam National University, Chungnam National University selected under '10 Seoul National Universities' initiative

Each school to receive about 70 billion won this year; programs tied to AI and regional industries

Pusan National focuses on manufacturing, Chonnam on semiconductors, Chungnam on science

Pusan National University, Chonnam National University and Chungnam National University have been selected as the first regional national universities to receive intensive support under the Lee Jae Myung administration's initiative to build 10 universities comparable to Seoul National University. The government will provide each school about 70 billion won ($51 million) this year and invest heavily over five years through 2030, focusing on regional strategic industries and AI.

The Ministry of Education announced Tuesday at Government Complex Seoul that the three universities had been chosen as the 2026 package support recipients under the initiative. The government plans to develop regional national universities into industry-academia-research collaboration platforms and hubs for attracting top talent to drive local growth.

Each selected university will receive about 40 billion won for a branded college and convergence research institute linked to regional strategic industries, about 10 billion won for an AI hub university program, and about 20 billion won for a "five-pole, three-special shared university" scheme. An additional 20 billion to 30 billion won in general financial support for undergraduate education reform and other initiatives is also expected to be added on top of last year's allocation.

Pusan National University will establish an innovative manufacturing convergence college in 2028, bringing together the southeastern region's strategic industries — shipbuilding and marine engineering, mechanical systems, and aerospace. The university plans to set up contract-based departments with LG Electronics, Hanwha affiliates and others, with a goal of breaking into the world's top 100 colleges. It will also launch an AI college in 2027, with 424 undergraduate and 270 graduate students, and develop its Yangsan campus into a research campus focused on industrial AI transformation.

Chonnam National University will establish an advanced convergence college in 2028 centered on semiconductors and future energy. It plans to expand industry-participation courses to more than 20 percent of its total offerings and scale up a joint corporate research laboratory model with Samsung, Korea Electric Power Corporation and others. Its AI college will be restructured to focus on graduate studies, with a goal of training 4,655 AI and AI-transformation specialists over the next five years.

Chungnam National University will establish a NEXUS science and technology college in 2028 and build a joint education and research framework with KAIST. Leading companies and KAIST will co-design the curriculum and operate an industry-integrated education system that connects students through to employment. The university also plans to set up a joint AI research institute with Naver Cloud and train 500 AI convergence specialists annually.

The Ministry of Education evaluated the candidates through a working committee that included officials from the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and outside experts, assessing regional and industrial conditions, university readiness, and plans for education and research innovation. The three universities were then formally selected at a pan-government promotion council on national spatial transformation, chaired by the prime minister.

The government plans to establish a separate performance management committee for each selected university and develop joint key performance indicators involving the universities, local governments and the private sector. Financial support for each university will be adjusted based on program outcomes.

"We will create a successful model of regional growth through regional universities and deliver results that the public can feel," Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said. "We will spare no administrative or financial support to help national universities fulfill their mission of balanced national development."

brunch@heraldcorp.com