"Simultaneous Rise in Technology Transfer and STEM Employment Rates"... Inha University Trains Technology Transfer Experts for Unemployed

Employment Connection Through 3-Year 'Youth TLO Development Project'

Researchers participating in the Youth TLO Development Project are receiving training on operating the transmission electron microscope.
[Photo by Inha University]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Inha University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation is training unemployed science and engineering graduates as Technology Licensing Officers (TLOs), achieving results in employment linkage and private technology transfer.

The foundation has selected a total of 407 unemployed science and engineering graduates through the Ministry of Science and ICT's "Youth TLO Development Project": 87 in 2018, 159 last year, and 161 this year, training them as technology transfer experts.

Over the past three years, the foundation has hired unemployed graduates as researchers for six months, transferring excellent university-owned technologies to the private sector, thereby promoting commercialization and startups and supporting youth job creation.

As a result, from 2018 to last year, 168 out of 246 graduates were linked to employment, with the employment rate gradually increasing from 64.3% to 70.4%. Through direct and indirect technology commercialization activities, 23 technology transfers and technology fees amounting to approximately 254 million KRW were secured.

Inha University stated that the secret to these achievements was systematic support through an open innovation platform.

The foundation structured four tracks according to the technology commercialization stages and operated different systems such as the PSP-R&D & Internship program, R&D coordinator and research equipment engineer training, and laboratory startup programs, strengthening the technical commercialization job competencies of youth TLOs through pre-job training and track-specific specialized education.

Through the company-linked youth TLO team projects, they resolved companies' technical difficulties, promoted the R&D & Internship program, and held excellent performance presentations to match outstanding university-owned technologies.

Baek Seonghyun, Deputy Director of Inha University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, said, "Through this project, we were able to expand our university's technology transfer and achieve higher employment rates in science and engineering fields. It is a project essential for young people preparing to enter society during difficult times."

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