Investing 54 Billion KRW in 8 Specialized Universities for Semiconductor Talent Development

Ministry of Education Releases Basic Financial Support Plan for Semiconductor Specialized Universities

The government will provide support funds worth hundreds of billions of won to eight universities equipped with the capacity and will to nurture semiconductor talent.

On the 28th, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology held a meeting with university officials at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, to unveil the 'Basic Financial Support Plan (Draft) for Semiconductor Specialized Universities' and gather feedback.

This project is a university financial support initiative planned to supply bachelor-level talent required by the industry and to broaden the base for nurturing master's and doctoral-level talent, in accordance with the 'Semiconductor Talent Development Plan' established in July last year.

The Ministry of Education plans to provide financial support totaling 54 billion won over four years, including 5.4 billion won this year, to the eight selected universities and university consortia for faculty salaries, establishment of educational facilities and equipment, corporate collaboration, and other necessary expenses to implement semiconductor talent development plans.

The specific support amounts are approximately 4.5 billion won each for two individual universities in the metropolitan area; about 7 billion won each for three individual universities outside the metropolitan area; about 7 billion won for one consortium consisting of one metropolitan and one non-metropolitan university; and about 8.5 billion won each for two consortia of two to three universities within non-metropolitan regions.

Semiconductor specialized universities must establish talent development goals and implementation plans centered on their respective strengths, and the Ministry of Education will rigorously manage performance regarding the quantitative and qualitative levels of semiconductor talent development through annual and phased evaluations.

Universities must set implementation plans such as establishing semiconductor-related departments, and if they do not establish new departments, they must specifically present their talent development methods, goals, and implementation plans.

They must also strengthen foundational education for the semiconductor industry and interdisciplinary convergence, and develop and operate curricula involving corporate participation.

The implementation plans for semiconductor specialized universities should include securing excellent faculty with extensive field experience, building semiconductor education, research, and practical training environments, expanding credit recognition for work and learning experiences outside school, operating joint curricula among universities, and supporting employment linkage with semiconductor companies.

The Ministry of Education intends to identify and improve regulations that hinder the progress of plans from the application stage of the semiconductor specialized university project.

The 'Semiconductor Talent Development Support Collaboration Center,' involving industry and research sectors within the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, will also be operated to share information on semiconductor industry workforce demand and support the establishment of a talent development database (DB).

The Ministry of Education will finalize and disclose the basic plan next month based on the opinions collected during the public hearing.

The selection evaluation will be conducted by a panel of experts in the semiconductor field. The panel will carry out document reviews, on-site investigations, and face-to-face evaluations of each university's implementation plan and announce the final selection results in May.

Choi Eun-hee, Director of Talent Policy at the Ministry of Education, explained, "We hope that universities will propose and realize various semiconductor talent development models reflecting their characteristics and strengths through the semiconductor specialized university project."

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