Government to Provide 100 Billion Won Each to 10 Glocal Universities... Selected Based on "Feasibility" (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Education and Glocal University Committee Results Announced
10 Selected Out of 15 Preliminary Designations
'Feasibility' Given Highest Weight
'Regional Balance' Not Considered

The government has selected 10 universities for the 'Glocal University 30 Project,' which is implemented to provide concentrated support to regional universities. Approximately 100 billion KRW in funding is expected to be invested over the next five years for the selected universities. The Glocal University Committee stated that 'regional balance' was not considered at all during the evaluation process and that the focus was on 'feasibility.'

On the afternoon of the 13th, the Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee held a briefing at the Government Seoul Office to announce these details. The universities designated as Glocal main universities this year are ▲Kangwon National University and Gangneung-Wonju National University ▲Gyeongsang National University ▲Pusan National University and Pusan National University of Education ▲Sunchon National University ▲Andong National University and Gyeongbuk Provincial University ▲Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology ▲Chonbuk National University ▲Chungbuk National University and Korea National University of Transportation ▲Pohang University of Science and Technology ▲Hallym University, totaling 10 institutions. Previously, five universities that were selected as preliminary designated universities?▲Soonchunhyang University ▲Yonsei University Mirae Campus ▲Inje University ▲Chonnam National University ▲Handong Global University?were not selected for the main designation.

The Glocal University 30 Project, promoted by the Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee, was planned to build a regional innovation ecosystem by concentrating financial support on some universities amid the deepening crisis of regional universities due to population decline and industrial structural changes. The goal is to start with about 10 universities this year and designate around 30 universities by 2026.

Each selected university will receive approximately 10 billion KRW over five years. Additionally, regulatory innovation will be prioritized to induce investment from ministries and local governments.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This year, the first Glocal University designation evaluation saw 108 universities submit 94 innovation plans. The Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee selected 15 universities through a preliminary designation evaluation in June, and the main designated universities were decided after evaluation by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

The main designation selection focused primarily on 'feasibility.' The Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee explained, "The main designation evaluation examined how concrete and feasible the implementation plans were, whether university development was closely linked to regional development strategies, whether local governments clearly recognized the role of Glocal Universities, and whether there was sufficient willingness to support them." The evaluation was conducted in three areas: appropriateness of implementation plans, performance management, and local government support and investment.

The Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee stated that the universities selected for the main designation commonly presented detailed implementation plans. They said, "Each university proposed common strategies and tasks for cooperation between the university and the region to boldly break down barriers hindering innovation inside and outside the university. Educational innovation breaking down walls between departments and majors within the university, and strategies to break down barriers between universities and regional industries and research institutions to leap forward as partners in regional development were proposed diversely, reflecting the unique characteristics of each university and region."

To ensure fairness and expertise in the evaluation, the main designation evaluation committee was composed of experts from academia, research, and industry. It was also conducted as a closed-door residential evaluation for thorough security.

However, the submitted implementation plans by universities are expected to require supplementary submissions later. The Glocal University Committee decided that detailed implementation contents of the selected universities need to be supplemented through evaluation committee opinions and expert consulting. Accordingly, each university will begin first-year implementation but must revise and supplement the implementation plan through expert consulting by February next year. The scale of support by university and year will also be finally decided considering the revisions to the implementation plans.

For universities designated as Glocal Universities, annual implementation checks will be conducted, and mid-term and final evaluations will be held in the third and fifth years. If the implementation plan is not carried out or performance is insufficient, measures such as contract termination and suspension of support will be taken after deliberation by the Glocal University Committee, and project funds may be reclaimed if necessary. Especially, universities that applied jointly on the premise of integration must submit an integration application to the Ministry of Education within one year after signing the agreement and proceed with the integration process promptly.

Next year, the Glocal University 30 Project plans to announce the implementation plan in January, conduct preliminary designation in April, and aim for main designation in July.

At the briefing Q&A, Kim Woo-seung, Vice Chairman of the Glocal University Committee, stated that 'regional balance' and 'mergers and consolidations' were not considered during the evaluation process. In response to a question noting that seven of the 10 selected universities are national universities and many of the rejected ones are private universities, Vice Chairman Kim said, "There was no regional balance at all, and there was nothing related to integration in the evaluation indicators themselves. The evaluation only considered the appropriateness of the implementation plan, the appropriateness of performance management, and local government support and investment plans, so there was no such consideration."

He added, "When a university is selected, it becomes a form of leading the universities around it, so there was no regional balance."

Regarding the opinion that structural adjustment might be trivialized, he said, "The Glocal project is not a structural adjustment project," and added, "Even when revising the university establishment and operation regulations last September, all matters related to reducing admission quotas due to university mergers and consolidations were abolished."

Regarding plans for preliminary designation for universities that failed the main designation, he explained, "The Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee will consult and make a final decision."

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