The government has selected eight universities, including Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, and Kyungpook National University (Yonhap), as semiconductor specialized universities, allocating a budget of 54 billion won this year.

The Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology announced on the 13th that they will announce the results of the "Semiconductor Specialized University Support Project" on the upcoming 14th.

The Semiconductor Specialized University Support Project was established in response to the demand for talent in the semiconductor industry, as outlined in the talent development plan announced last year. This year, the project is divided into two categories: "Independent Type," where individual universities participate, and "Co-development Type," where university alliances participate. Three universities in the metropolitan area and five universities in non-metropolitan areas have been selected.

In the case of the independent type in the Seoul metropolitan area, Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University have been selected and will receive support of 4.5 billion won each. Seoul National University will establish a semiconductor major in the Advanced Convergence Department, while Sungkyunkwan University plans to establish the Department of Semiconductor Convergence Engineering. For the co-development type, Myongji University and Hoseo University have been selected, and they will receive support of 7 billion won. The alliance between these universities aims to operate joint educational programs in semiconductor engineering related to materials, components, equipment, and packaging.

In the non-metropolitan area, Kyungpook National University, Korea University Sejong Campus, and Pusan National University have been selected as independent types and will receive support of 7 billion won. Kyungpook National University will establish a specialized curriculum in semiconductors, focusing on circuits, systems, materials, components, and equipment. Korea University Sejong Campus will specialize in advanced semiconductor process equipment, while Pusan National University will focus on automotive semiconductors as its specialized field. For the co-development type in the non-metropolitan area, the alliance between Chonbuk National University and Chonnam National University, as well as the alliance between Chungbuk National University, Chungnam National University, and Korea University of Technology and Education, have been selected. The alliance between Chonbuk National University and Chonnam National University plans to specialize in next-generation mobility semiconductors, while the alliance involving Chungbuk National University will focus on system and foundry semiconductors.

The Ministry of Education plans to operate a collaborative center for supporting semiconductor talent development, where specialized universities can share information and communicate with industry and research sectors regarding workforce demand and industry trends.

Sang-yoon Jang, the Vice Minister of Education, emphasized the importance of fostering talent in advanced fields such as semiconductors. He stated, "Through the government's various regulatory innovation efforts, we hope to see changes reflected in the field through this semiconductor specialization university support project. We urge universities to closely collaborate with the industry and drive the project forward."

Source: https://ee.snu.ac.kr/community/news?bm=v&bbsidx=53693

Translated by: Do-Hyung Kim, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, kimdohyung@snu.ac.kr