Ministry of Science and ICT Selects 3 New AI Graduate Schools

[Asia Economy Reporter Seolgina Jo] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 16th the final selection of universities for the AI Graduate Schools (Advanced and Professional Tracks), which serve as hubs for training high-level talent in the artificial intelligence (AI) field in 2020, and the AI Convergence Research Centers (Convergence Track), which will foster AI convergence research and talent.

Among a total of 12 applicant universities, 3 universities?Yonsei University, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), and Hanyang University?were selected for the AI Graduate Schools. For the AI Convergence Research Centers, 4 universities?Pusan National University, Inha University, Chungnam National University, and Hanyang University ERICA?were selected out of 15 applicants.

The three universities selected for the AI Graduate Schools proposed high-level operational plans including an education system for more than 40 AI master's and doctoral students, expansion of AI major faculty members to the highest domestic level, and the establishment of advanced and specialized AI curricula.

Yonsei University plans to expand its full-time AI faculty from 8 this year to 18 in 2024, and along with establishing a new AI department, will install an AI Data Center and AI Convergence Research Institute to expand AI education for all students. Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) also plans to increase its full-time AI faculty from 10 to 16 during the same period, aiming to enter the global top 10 universities in the AI field by 2030. Hanyang University will increase its full-time faculty to as many as 30, the highest among the three universities, and strengthen world-class AI specialized education and research through four major institutions: the AI Graduate School, Research Institute, AI Solution Center, and SW·AI Convergence Education Institute.

The AI Convergence Research Centers focus on fostering AI convergence talent through creative convergence research and education based on collaboration between AI departments and various other departments. The three universities selected this year plan to nurture more than 40 AI convergence talents annually through industry-academia cooperation and joint research linked to each school's strengths and regional specialized industries. Pusan National University focuses on smart factories, Inha University on logistics and portals, Chungnam National University on bio, and Hanyang University ERICA on medical and pharmaceutical fields.

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "With the additional selection of 3 AI Graduate Schools and 4 AI Convergence Research Centers this year, AI education is expected to spread throughout the university community," and added, "We will continue to promote multifaceted policy efforts to expand AI talent." The Ministry first selected 5 AI Graduate Schools last year with the goal of nurturing talent to lead the AI era.