UNIST to Host AI Innovation Ecosystem Building 'Open Workshop' on 30th
Latest Trends and Research Results Revealed... "Differentiation in Corporate Experience"
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) held the first artificial intelligence (AI) specialized academic conference in the southeastern region.
The event was organized to establish an AI innovation ecosystem within the region and to accelerate innovation in related industries.
On the 30th, the ‘AI Technology Open Workshop’ began at the UNIST Main Campus Auditorium.
From 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., 16 AI expert professors participated in the workshop to introduce the latest AI technology trends and UNIST’s research achievements.
The workshop covered three main topics: core AI technologies, AI system technologies, and industrial application technologies (AI+X).
Professors from the UNIST Graduate School of AI and AI Innovation Park introduced in-depth technologies in various fields, including the latest AI algorithms, 3D and visual AI, AI-based semiconductor and energy material development, future mobility, and healthcare applications.
The workshop was conducted in a hybrid format, both online and offline.
About 350 participants joined both onsite and online, showing great interest. Attendees included representatives from 80 companies, including 40 from the southeastern region such as Ulsan, and 26 from the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas.
Additionally, professors and students from over 10 research institutes and universities in the southeastern region participated.
Shim Jae-young, head of the AI Innovation Park project team, said, “This is an important academic event to further develop AI capabilities in the southeastern region,” adding, “We hope to continuously expand this open academic conference where academia and industry collaborate.”
Since 2019, UNIST has selected AI as a key research area and has been fostering it.
The first step was the establishment of the ‘Graduate School of AI,’ followed by the opening of the ‘AI Innovation Park’ to build an AI innovation ecosystem.
The UNIST Graduate School of AI was selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT’s AI Graduate School support project and opened in September 2020.
Only 10 AI graduate schools nationwide receive government support, and UNIST is the only one in the southeastern region.
Currently, 24 AI expert professors and 71 students are working together to nurture core AI talents and develop advanced technologies.
The AI Innovation Park, launched in January, serves as a hub for regional industrial innovation based on the Graduate School of AI.
It has established a dedicated organization to promote AI innovation projects, building an innovation cycle that connects AI education, research, and startups.
The industry workforce education program ‘AI Novatus Academia’ graduated 36 participants (from 28 companies) in the first half of the year, and 37 participants (from 31 companies) are currently undergoing training in the second half.
The education consists of theory and practical assignments. Among the first half’s practical assignments, promising cases receive an annual research fund of 100 million KRW and are pursued as industry-academia cooperation projects.
Industry-academia cooperation projects with local companies are also active, with seven projects currently underway over two years with a research budget of 200 million KRW.
There are also 12 AI specialized companies located in the UNIST Industry-Academia Convergence Campus.
President Lee Yong-hoon stated, “The Graduate School of AI and AI Innovation Park are striving to create differentiated innovative outcomes that local companies can feel,” adding, “Through continuous talent development and industry-academia cooperation, we will become an innovation hub leading the transformation of industries in Ulsan and the southeastern region.”
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