Kyungnam University: A Global Innovative University Leading Digital Transformation

Since its establishment in 1946, Kyungnam University has built a proud 78-year history and tradition, growing into a prestigious institution that cultivates "creative and convergent local talent" to lead regional development on a global stage. Along with this, the university's beautiful and eco-friendly Wolyeong Campus and its state-of-the-art, future-oriented educational facilities provide students with the optimal environment for academic achievement, helping them successfully chart their career paths alongside their studies.

Kyungnam University Jeon Gyeong.

◆ Kyungnam University's Bold Innovation Toward Official Selection for the Glocal University 30 Project

Kyungnam University was selected as a preliminary designated institution in the "2024 Glocal University Preliminary Designation Evaluation" announced by the Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee, submitting an innovation proposal centered on the "Digital Transformation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex."

The main focus is to realize the digital transformation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex by serving as a "hub of local digital transformation," fostering digital convergence talent, building a regional digital ecosystem, and promoting collaborative development among industry, academia, research, and government. The innovation plan is grounded in national future visions such as the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s goal of nurturing one million digital talents, as well as the establishment of a master plan for the Changwon National Industrial Complex and regional industry demand analysis for digital innovation.

Kyungnam University’s ambitious and bold innovation for the Glocal University initiative includes specific goals and figures, such as realizing KRW 60 trillion in gross regional domestic product (GRDP) through digital transformation by 2023; cultivating 10,000 digital convergence talents through openness and collaborative partnerships; fostering 50 global small and strong enterprises and 2,000 international students by succeeding in industrial transformation and securing new growth engines; and entering the world’s top 70 innovative universities by realizing a unified vision and sustainable competitiveness.

Now, Kyungnam University is aiming for official designation for the Glocal University 30 project. To lead the future of Gyeongnam, the university has adopted core strategies of ▲ integrated and spatial innovation ▲ educational innovation ▲ regional industry and social innovation ▲ governance and operational innovation. It will actively utilize its infrastructure, such as the Super-Sized Manufacturing AI Global Joint Research Center, Global Coding Campus, and Gyeongnam Global Game Center, as well as innovate the local industrial ecosystem, including the Changwon National Industrial Complex, Masan Marine New Town, and the nation’s first Digital Masan Free Trade Zone.

◆ Accelerating Digital Innovation Through Campus Expansion via Openness and Collaborative Partnerships

The core plan for Kyungnam University’s official designation is ultimately to become a leading innovative university that can successfully spearhead the digital transformation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex by nurturing digital convergence talent and expanding international exchange programs.

To this end, the university has put forth "campus expansion through openness and collaborative partnerships (HUB-SPOKE)" as its key strategy, focusing on integrated and spatial innovation. Essentially, the Kyungnam University campus and the city of Changwon will become one integrated entity.

To accelerate digital innovation, Kyungnam University, along with innovation institutes such as the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute and the Korea Institute of Materials Science, is operating R&D support for partner companies, educational programs for employees, and the JA professorship system to cultivate digital innovation experts at the master's and doctoral levels who possess both academic knowledge and practical skills.

The university is also concentrating its diverse capabilities on enhancing global competitiveness. It plans to establish an international student settlement package, build a global campus education platform in partnership with overseas universities to produce over 2,000 international students, and establish more than 20 global expansion campuses. In addition, through connections with local industries, universities, technical colleges, high schools, and local governments, the university aims to foster ▲ talent development ▲ cultivation of field experts ▲ digital education support ▲ job placement support, thereby contributing to the growth of Changwon and the increase in its resident population. The university will also establish the "Superlattice 4+1 Campus" in conjunction with the Changwon National Industrial Complex. Recognizing the importance of close collaboration among industry, academia, research, and government, as well as fostering creative talent for the major transformation of Changwon’s industrial ecosystem over the next 50 years, Kyungnam University will establish the "DX Promotion Headquarters" in the Masan Marine New Town Digital Free Trade Zone. This headquarters will serve as a hub for "digital-focused education and research," operating and supporting digital-centric modular education and DX specialization centers in collaboration with the Super-Sized Manufacturing AI Global Joint Research Center, Gyeongnam Global Game Center, and Amazon Startup Innovation Park. Centered around the headquarters, the following campuses will be operated in Changwon: ▲ Gyeongnam Glocal Vision Campus (Masan Happo-gu), ▲ Gyeongnam Glocal Convergence Campus (Masan Hoewon-gu), ▲ Gyeongnam Glocal Innovation Campus (Changwon Uichang-gu), and ▲ Smart Logistics Campus (Changwon Jinhae-gu). These campuses will lay the groundwork for digital transformation in fields such as big data, manufacturing software and smart factories, and manufacturing process simulation. Through these, the university will provide close support to businesses in areas ranging from technology development and management consulting to employee education and business startups within the national industrial complex. It also plans to contribute to student career success and the growth of local enterprises through hands-on training, capstone design, and project-based courses.

President Jae-Kyu Park of Kyungnam University is explaining about the future to students.

◆ Educational Innovation for Nurturing Talent Capable of Creating New Value

Kyungnam University is also innovating its education to nurture digital convergence talent based on local demand. The ultimate goal of its "digital convergence talent" initiative is to ensure every student becomes someone capable of creating new value. The university helps students build core digital competencies such as programming, data science, and AI utilization, enabling them to fuse their major fields with digital skills and apply creative problem-solving abilities in the future.

As part of its curriculum, the university has introduced the "domain-based digital convergence curriculum." Replacing the previous single-major, department-centric system, students are now free to choose their major through the "open major selection" system. The four convergence colleges—▲AI·Software ▲Smart Engineering ▲Smart City ▲Digital Humanities & Society—recruit students without specifying a major, allowing them to select and complete digital and micro-task modules. Upon completion, students are evaluated on their digital base competencies and selected specialized skills, and by participating in company-linked projects, they become eligible for employment at partner companies. In addition, the university is focusing on educational method innovation by introducing project-based semesters such as short-term intensive, semester-long intensive, and year-long intensive programs, delivering flagship education programs.

◆ Future Technologies of Gyeongnam Are Being Concentrated at Kyungnam University, Including the Super-Sized Manufacturing AI Global Joint Research Center

As part of its university specialization, Kyungnam University is applying next-generation artificial intelligence—"super-sized AI"—to Gyeongsangnam-do’s core manufacturing industry, striving to develop new manufacturing processes and cultivate talent for Gyeongsangnam-do’s next-generation growth industries.

To this end, the university has established the "Super-Sized Manufacturing AI Global Joint Research Center," nurturing Changwon's Masanhappo-gu as a global innovation hub for super-sized manufacturing AI industries. The global joint research center, jointly operated by Megazone Cloud, KAIST, and Gyeongnam Technopark, leads the digital transformation of Gyeongsangnam-do’s core manufacturing industries by applying super-sized AI and develops original technologies for global manufacturing innovation through collaboration among industry, academia, research, and government. The center is achieving various innovations with the participation of global tech companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and SAP, as well as major domestic companies like KT and SK Networks Service, and SMEs such as AI.Nation, RCK, and Markbase.

Kyungnam University was the first in Gyeongnam and Ulsan to be selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT’s "2023 Software-Centered University" general track, and is pursuing a project worth a total of KRW 22 billion over eight years, utilizing funding from the government, Gyeongnam Province, Changwon City, industry, and the university itself. By transforming university education to focus on software, the university is dedicated to nurturing software professionals, continuously supplying "demand-driven software convergence talent" required by over 100 partner companies, including LG Electronics, Samsung Heavy Industries, DSME Information Systems, and Hanwha Machinery.

In addition, the "Kyungnam University Global Coding Campus," a joint initiative among the local community, university, and companies to cultivate software convergence innovation talent, is gaining attention as a joint research and education center poised to lead the future of Gyeongnam. The university has also attracted the "Gyeongnam Global Game Center" to revitalize the regional game industry ecosystem and provide customized support, helping to resolve the industry imbalance concentrated in the capital area.

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