The Progress of Artificial Intelligence Innovation in Ulsan? ... UNIST Celebrates 1 Year of Innovation Park with 'AI Innovation Day' Event

A Venue for Presenting and Exhibiting Industry-Academia Cooperation Achievements

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] How far has artificial intelligence achieved innovation in regional industries?

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) held an event to share the achievements of the AI Innovation Park, which is celebrating its first anniversary.

The "AI Innovation Day" event was held over two days on the 22nd and 23rd at the UNIST Natural Science Building and other locations. At this event, the AI Innovation Park introduced its achievements in employee training, industry-academia joint research, startup incubation, and student study group development.

UNIST AI Innovation Park was launched last January to promote AI innovation in the southeastern region. It has been carrying out AI-related projects such as training AI experts for industry, industry-academia collaborative research, supporting AI specialized startups, spreading AI applied research, developing new AI curricula, and supporting AI study group operations.

The AI Novatus Academia, an employee training program, recruited two cohorts and produced 59 graduates.

Fifty-one local companies played a significant role in nurturing AI experts for the industry. Regional companies such as Samyangsa, Tyroscope, Hyosung Electric, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Clinomics conducted AI projects during the training courses, achieving results that solved problems in industrial sites.

Industry-academia joint research achievements include AI developments in various fields such as autonomous driving, quality inspection, process optimization, wearables, semiconductor materials, and vehicle stability.

UNIST’s AI expert faculty and local companies enhanced industrial competitiveness through related research.

A total of 14 companies specializing in AI are housed in the AI Innovation Park. Eleven resident companies, including Widit, Core.today, InterX, and SPCi, presented their business models and technological capabilities at the event, showcasing their competitiveness. These companies conduct joint research with UNIST researchers utilizing the advanced facilities of the AI Innovation Park.

Sim Jae-young, head of the AI Innovation Park project team, said, “We showcased cases of local companies directly experiencing AI-based innovation achievements,” adding, “We will lead a field-centered differentiated AI innovation ecosystem and develop into a southeastern regional innovation hub.”

The event also introduced AI research applied in various fields such as astronomy, robotics, nuclear power generation, pharmaceutical development, financial market prediction, mobility, and advanced materials.

Research topic presentations, prototypes from AI Innovation Park resident companies, and study group activities were also introduced alongside posters, attracting attention.

Jo Won-kyung, Ulsan City Deputy Mayor for Economy, said in his congratulatory speech, “The AI Innovation Park has discovered many projects and achieved good results in just one year,” and urged, “Please help local companies use UNIST’s AI ecosystem as a stepping stone for a new leap forward.”

President Lee Yong-hoon said, “I hope this will be an opportunity to further develop AI capabilities in the southeastern region and promote innovation in the industry,” adding, “We will strive to lead industrial innovation in the southeastern region through excellent talent development and industry-academia cooperation, and to create a world-class AI innovation ecosystem.”

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