Ministry of Science and ICT to Train 2,800 Advanced ICT Talents with 74 Billion Won Budget Injection

ICT Talent Development Project Opens for Applications on the 20th
Strengthening Challenging Tasks and Practical Field Skills
Targeting 18,000 Talents by 2028

The Ministry of Science and ICT will invest approximately 74 billion KRW this year to train 2,800 digital talents.

The ministry announced that it will significantly expand its ICT advanced talent training projects compared to last year and open applications starting from the 20th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

By project, ▲ the University ICT Research Centers will select 24 new centers (16 general and 8 regional), ▲ the Regional Intelligent Innovation Talent Training Project will select 3 new projects (Gyeongnam, Jeonbuk·Jeju, Chungnam·Sejong), and ▲ the Bachelor-Master Linked ICT Core Talent Training Project will select 18 new projects.

The total budget is 73.9 billion KRW, and including the 2,800 talents to be trained this year, it is expected to cultivate a total of about 17,800 digital core talents by 2028.

The University ICT Research Center project supports universities in conducting advanced research projects in core ICT technology fields, student-led creative autonomous tasks, talent training exhibitions, and ICT challenges. It aims to enhance national technological competitiveness and cultivate advanced research talents at the master's and doctoral levels who will drive digital economic growth.

Starting this year, to nurture talents required in the AI and digital era, it is mandatory to carry out innovative and challenging projects that have a high risk of failure but are expected to yield significant success. Additionally, convergence research combining technology with other fields such as humanities, social sciences, and arts has been made compulsory.

The Regional Intelligent Innovation Talent Training Project supports industry-academia research linked to regional key industries and re-education for employed master's and doctoral students to address the shortage of advanced talents in the region and strengthen regional industrial competitiveness.

This year, three projects will be selected, one each from the previously unselected regions of Gyeongnam, Jeonbuk·Jeju, and Chungnam·Sejong. Selected universities will receive an annual budget of about 2 billion KRW (1 billion KRW in the first year) for up to eight years.

The Bachelor-Master Linked ICT Core Talent Training Project expands linked education between undergraduate and graduate students. Companies and universities jointly design and operate curricula to cultivate talents equipped with practical problem-solving skills for the field. An annual budget of about 250 million KRW (125 million KRW in the first year) will be provided for up to five years.

The Ministry of Science and ICT will conduct an integrated announcement for the three projects from the 20th until the 24th of next month, followed by evaluations to select new project institutions. To increase academic interest and gather opinions from the research field, regional briefing sessions will also be held.

Jeon Young-su, Director of the Information and Communication Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "This year, we plan to select 18 new projects, significantly expanded from last year, to increase the progression and influx of undergraduates into graduate schools and to expand the training of advanced talents tailored to field demands."