The Ministry of Science and ICT has begun in earnest to nurture elite master’s- and doctoral-level talent who can turn the AI and digital technologies developed in university laboratories into actual startups. On September 2, the ministry held a plaque-unveiling ceremony and roundtable for the four newly selected universities of its ‘AX Pioneer Entrepreneurial Talent Development Centers,’ announcing that KAIST, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), UNIST and Chosun University will operate as regional hubs for AI entrepreneurship.
 [코리안투데이] Plaque-unveiling ceremony and roundtable for the Ministry of Science and ICT’s ‘AX Pioneer Entrepreneurial Talent Development Centers’ © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT (led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) held a plaque-unveiling ceremony and roundtable for the ‘AX Pioneer Entrepreneurial Talent Development Centers’ on September 2 at the Seoul office of the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation, honoring the four universities selected to lead its new 2026 project, the ‘AI and Digital-Based Startup Talent Development Program.’
The program was designed to cultivate ‘entrepreneur-type elite talent’ — researchers who go beyond merely acquiring AI and digital skills to independently identify and define problems in the market and society, build solutions using AI technology, and carry them through to actual business creation. Rather than stopping at technical education or academic publications, the initiative focuses on hands-on education and research that runs from problem discovery through research and problem-solving, market- and technology-based value validation, and finally the challenge of launching a startup, thereby developing master’s and doctoral talent equipped with both research capabilities and entrepreneurial competence.
The ministry announced the program last March and, following a selection review in May and June, chose the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) for the Chungcheong region, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) for the northeastern region, the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) for the southeastern region, and Chosun University for the Honam region as its lead institutions. By region, KAIST will build a deep-tech startup support system spanning technology discovery, talent development, startup incubation, investment linkage and global expansion in fields such as semiconductors, power, sensors, electronic materials and healthcare. POSTECH will establish a full-cycle acceleration system incorporating investment specialists from POSTECH Holdings, centered on semiconductors, defense, robotics and biotechnology; UNIST will form a cooperative network for innovative startups in the southeast built around battery-process AI, industrial-security AI, smart-factory AI and medical-data AI; and Chosun University will create a Honam AI hub consortium that turns regional challenges in aerospace, renewable energy, power energy and medical AI into business opportunities.
The program targets regional universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area and will be supported for six years (3+3). In 2026, a total of 2 billion won will be invested across the four centers, at 500 million won per center. The support covers operating costs, including advanced convergence-project research, the development of entrepreneurship curricula, and proof-of-concept (PoC) assistance.
With the principal investigators of the four universities in attendance, the event shared the program’s direction and the goals of each task, followed by a roundtable of principal investigators and then the plaque-unveiling ceremony. The roundtable focused on ways to build a region-centered virtuous cycle in which master’s and doctoral talent who grow up in a region settle there to conduct research, launch startups and create quality jobs. Participants also discussed measures to strengthen cooperation between universities and regional industry so that outstanding university research achievements lead to solving problems on the ground in regional industry, as well as to technology commercialization and startups.
The program reflects an intent to change the structure in which concentration in the capital area prevents regions from retaining talent. It is drawing attention because, if a virtuous cycle takes hold in which locally educated talent conducts research and launches startups in the region to create jobs, drawing outstanding talent back into the region, the self-sustaining capacity of regional industry can grow.
Park Tae-wan, director-general for information and communications industry policy at the ministry, said, ‘AI technology is now establishing itself as a core growth engine that goes beyond the laboratory into industry and the startup field.’ He added, ‘Through this program, we will actively support regional hub universities in taking a central role in AI startup innovation, and help outstanding young talent boldly take on research and entrepreneurship in their regions.’
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