Creating an Innovative 4th Industrial Revolution Ecosystem at Universities

Hannam University Campus Innovation Park Bird's-eye View (Provided by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The leading project for Campus Innovation Parks, aimed at creating an innovative ecosystem in preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, has entered its full-scale implementation phase.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 22nd that certain sites within Hannam University in Daejeon and Hanyang University ERICA Campus in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, will be designated as urban high-tech industrial complexes. The Campus Innovation Park project is a joint initiative by the three ministries to transform idle university land into advanced industrial complexes, focusing on constructing corporate occupancy spaces and government-led industry-academia-research cooperation and corporate capacity-building projects, thereby fostering universities as hubs of innovative growth.

Among 32 universities that participated in the leading project competition last August, Hannam University, Hanyang University ERICA Campus, and Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, were selected. After about a year, two urban high-tech industrial complexes for the first Campus Innovation Parks have been swiftly designated. Kangwon National University is scheduled to be designated as an industrial complex within this year. The two designated sites are planned to begin construction within this year and be completed by 2022.

The industrial complex areas are 31,000㎡ for Hannam University and 78,579㎡ for Hanyang University ERICA, with each university and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) participating as joint project implementers. The existing university land, currently a natural green area with a floor area ratio of 100%, will be changed to a semi-industrial area with a floor area ratio of about 400%, allowing utilization at up to four times the density.

As part of the Campus Innovation Park project, the government-funded corporate rental space called the 'Industry-Academia-Research Innovation Park' will be built on each campus with a total floor area of 22,300㎡. The goal is for companies to move in by 2022, creating spaces not only for work but also for frequent interaction among companies.

Hanyang University ERICA Campus Innovation Park Bird's-eye View (Provided by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

Each university has also established mid- to long-term development strategies tailored to their circumstances to achieve visible results and efficiently operate the Campus Innovation Park in line with the industrial complex designation.

Hannam University plans to create 250 companies and over 1,500 jobs by 2022 through differentiated support for resident companies, focusing on its strengths in Information and Communication, Cultural Content, and Biotechnology (ICBT). To this end, it will develop an industry-academia-research innovation hub and happy housing by 2022 and promote the attraction of advanced companies and startup activation by simplifying business procedures, including proposing deregulation within the complex for rapid startups.

Hanyang University ERICA plans to attract innovative companies based on cloud and data, centered on the Kakao Data Center, with which it signed an attraction agreement last month. In connection with this, it aims to expand startups in new technologies such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Additionally, to function as an innovation hub that can transform the adjacent Banwol-Sihwa industrial complex into an ecosystem focused on new industries, it plans to intensively attract global research and development (R&D) facilities, advanced component materials, and smart manufacturing innovation companies.

The three ministries?Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups?have worked together to resolve difficulties faced by universities for the successful settlement of the Campus Innovation Park leading project. They plan to continue promoting support policies necessary for talent cultivation, startups, and corporate growth through inter-ministerial consultations so that universities can lead regional innovative growth according to their development strategies and operational plans.

A government official stated, "We will spare no policy support and effort to establish Campus Innovation Parks as robust innovation ecosystems within regions and to play an important role in elevating national competitiveness to the next level."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.