Battery 3 Companies Join Forces with Universities in All-Out Effort to Secure R&D Talent

Establishment of 'Contract Departments' Guaranteeing University Admission and Employment
Battery R&D Talent Shortage... Companies Directly Launch New Majors

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The three major domestic battery companies are collaborating with local universities to nurture talent and secure battery research personnel. As competition intensifies in the development of next-generation battery technologies, they are strengthening industry-academia cooperation linked to recruitment.

The most proactive company is LG Energy Solution. LG Energy Solution was the first to establish the Battery Department and Smart Factory Department at Korea University and recruit graduate students, followed by creating the 'Secondary Battery Convergence Engineering Cooperative Program' at Yonsei University. This newly established department is a 'contract department' that guarantees employment at LG Energy Solution upon degree completion.

Samsung SDI has signed an agreement with Seoul National University for the 'Seoul National University-Samsung SDI Battery Talent Development Program (SSBT)' and is working to nurture talent for next-generation secondary battery technology development. The plan is to cultivate core personnel in battery materials, cells, and systems through customized education. Departments participating include the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Department of Chemistry at Seoul National University.

The 'SSBT' program will select more than 100 Samsung SDI scholarship students over 10 years from the 2022 academic year to the 2031 academic year, providing training programs and contest opportunities supported by Samsung SDI. Students completing the program will receive separate personal scholarships including tuition for their degree program and will be employed by Samsung SDI immediately upon graduation.

SK On announced last month that it will open recruitment for the 'e-SKB' master's program in collaboration with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). SK On plans to recruit students for specific employment fields such as battery advanced research, battery cell development, battery process development, and battery system development among those admitted through this program.

The reason battery companies are establishing related departments at universities is due to a shortage of battery personnel. The Korea Battery Industry Association estimates that there is currently a shortage of over 1,000 master's and doctoral level personnel in the battery industry. As next-generation battery technology development accelerates, demand for related personnel is expected to increase further.

Separately from companies, the Korea Battery Industry Association has also started a talent development project with five universities since last year. From 2023, it plans to operate a talent development platform project as well.

A battery industry official said, "It is more efficient for companies to create battery departments to procure the necessary talent and for the government to support related matters, rather than the government directly training personnel."

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