![A recruitment poster for the 2026 K-Scientist program. [North Gyeongsang Province]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/01/news-p.v1.20261001.b74b334fa689452699afee37a188f517_P1.jpg)
North Gyeongsang Province announced Thursday that it is accepting applications for its 2026 K-Scientist program, open to current and former scientists and engineers, through Nov. 27.
The province plans to select about 11 leading scholars in fields including AI, robotics, advanced materials — semiconductors and secondary batteries — and medical biotechnology.
The K-Scientist program is a talent-attraction initiative that invites scientists and engineers with research and academic exchange experience to settle in North Gyeongsang Province, support the development of regional strategic industries and improve technological competitiveness.
The province first appointed nine K-Scientists in July last year.
They have contributed to securing national funding, strengthening medical infrastructure, advancing small modular reactor technology and shaping policy, while also delivering public science lectures to residents, civil servants and students.
To build on those results, the province expanded eligibility from retired or soon-to-retire scientists to include those still active in their fields. It also surveyed demand from local municipalities and 115 companies in the province to lay the groundwork for collaboration between participating scientists and host organizations.
K-Scientists are appointed as distinguished research fellows at the Gyeongbuk Research Institute, where they support corporate research and development, manufacturing process advancement, technology commercialization, national project attraction, convergence research and science outreach.
The scientists will begin moving into the K-Scientist Village — a residential community the province is developing — in the first half of next year.
The village is being built on the north side of Hominji Lake in Gagok-ri, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong, and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
The complex will serve as a permanent settlement for senior scientists and engineers, featuring 38 residential buildings with 45 units and nine shared-use facilities.
"The K-Scientist Village is a bold national experiment to transform the wisdom and experience of our finest scholars into a growth engine for North Gyeongsang Province's industrial future," North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo said. "Together with these leading academics, we will establish North Gyeongsang Province as a science and technology capital that leads the era of regional empowerment."
kbj7653@heraldcorp.com
