Government Executes University Budget of 20 Trillion+ α, Local Governments Utilize... Glocal University Development Also Initiated

Ministry of Education Reports 'RISE Implementation Plan' to President on 1st
Pilot Projects in 5 Cities and Provinces... Nationwide Expansion in 2025
30 'Glocal Universities'... 100 Billion KRW Support per University over 5 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The Ministry of Education will transfer the execution authority of university financial support project budgets exceeding 2 trillion won to local governments starting in 2025, and select 30 regional universities capable of reaching world-class levels in specialized fields by 2027 to provide financial and regulatory special support.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, is giving a briefing on the "Plan to Establish a Regional Innovation-Centered University Support System (RISE)" at Kumoh National Institute of Technology in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, on the 1st.
[Photo by Ministry of Education]

On the 1st, the Ministry of Education held the 1st Talent Development Strategy Meeting at Kumoh National Institute of Technology in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, and reported the ‘Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE) Support System for Universities’ establishment plan’ containing these details to President Yoon Suk-yeol.

RISE aims to shift the university support method, which has long been led by central government ministries, to a region-led approach. Until now, more than 1,000 university support projects have been scattered across central ministries including the Ministry of Education, and universities have applied individually to each project and received support if selected. However, it has been pointed out that this method cannot overcome the crisis jointly faced by regions and regional universities due to the declining school-age population.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Education decided to transfer the execution authority of more than 50% of the budget related to regional universities, which is part of the university support project budget under its jurisdiction, to 17 local governments starting in 2025. The intention is to allow local governments to select and nurture competitive regional universities through choice and concentration.

As of this year, the Ministry of Education’s university support project budget is 4.4 trillion won, and considering that the budget size will expand with economic growth, it is expected that local governments will be able to utilize a budget exceeding 2 trillion won in 2025.

Specifically, each local government will establish a regional university support plan (RISE plan) considering regional development plans and university specialization fields, and the Ministry of Education will sign agreements with the respective local governments and provide integrated budgets based on these agreements.

As a result, universities will have reduced burdens in preparing application plans for each project to secure Ministry of Education budgets. When proposing solutions to regional social challenges in cooperation with local governments, such as creating local jobs and developing local industries, universities can receive larger budgets at once from local governments.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, is giving a briefing on the 'Regional Innovation-Centered University Support System (RISE) Establishment Plan' at Kumoh National Institute of Technology in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, on the 1st.
[Photo by Ministry of Education]

Ultimately, the Ministry of Education’s goal is for universities supported by local governments to serve as hubs for regional development and establish a virtuous cycle ecosystem of regional development: nurturing local talent → employment and entrepreneurship within the region → expansion of settlement bases. The Ministry plans to gradually expand the local government-led university financial support method by converting other central government university support projects to RISE in stages.

First, the Ministry of Education will select about five non-metropolitan cities and provinces as RISE pilot regions during 2023?2024. Although no separate budget is allocated for RISE during the pilot period, the Ministry plans to allow local governments to lead the operation of five university financial support projects (worth about 500 billion won) that require cooperation with local governments under the RISE method.

The Ministry of Education plans to establish a successful RISE model and identify institutional improvements through the pilot projects.

To support local governments with less experience in university support projects, the Ministry will establish dedicated university support departments in each city and province. Additionally, pilot regions will be designated as ‘Higher Education Innovation Specialized Areas’ to facilitate the swift application of regulatory special cases, and the Ministry plans to consult with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to establish ‘Education Reform Support Officers’?director-level officials dispatched to local governments.

Alongside promoting RISE, the Ministry of Education will also foster ‘Glocal Universities.’ Glocal Universities are universities with world-class specialized fields that lead regional development and can drive the growth of other universities within the region.

The Ministry plans to select and support about 10 Glocal Universities starting this year and a total of about 30 across all non-metropolitan regions by 2027. Once designated as a Glocal University, each institution will receive 100 billion won in support over five years and various regulatory special benefits through central ministries and local governments.

The Ministry of Education plans to prepare and announce the selection and support details for Glocal Universities within the first half of this year.

An official from the Ministry of Education explained, “We aim to create one to three Glocal Universities in each local government that students want to attend and parents want to send their children to.”