Kyungnam University, a Global Innovative University Leading the Digital Transformation

Since its founding in 1946, Kyungnam University has grown into a prestigious institution with 78 years of history and tradition, nurturing 'creative convergence local talents' who will lead regional development on a global stage. Alongside this, the beautiful and eco-friendly Wolyeong (Wolyeong) Campus and its future-oriented, state-of-the-art educational facilities provide students with the best learning environment, helping them carve out successful career paths as they pursue their studies.

Gyeongnam University Police Station.

◆ Kyungnam University's Bold Innovation Toward Official Selection for the Glocal University 30 Project

Kyungnam University was selected as a preliminary designated university in the '2024 Glocal University Preliminary Designation Evaluation' announced by the Ministry of Education and the Glocal University Committee, by submitting an innovative plan centered on the 'Digital Transformation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex.'

The key focus is to realize the digital transformation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex by fostering digital convergence talents, building a local digital ecosystem, and promoting joint development among industry, academia, and research. The foundation of the innovation plan is based on the national vision of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to cultivate one million digital talents, the establishment of a master plan for the Changwon National Industrial Complex, and digital innovation demand analysis services reflecting the needs of local industries.

The bold and daring innovation toward becoming a Glocal University is accompanied by concrete goals and figures: achieving a regional GDP (GRDP) of 60 trillion KRW through digital transformation by 2023; nurturing 10,000 digital convergence talents through openness and collaborative partnership; fostering 50 global small but strong companies and producing 2,000 international students by securing new growth engines and succeeding in industrial transformation; and entering the top 70 global innovative universities by realizing a unified vision and sustainable competitiveness.

Now, Kyungnam University is challenging itself for the official selection in the Glocal University 30 project. To lead the future of Gyeongnam, it has set core strategies such as ▲ linkage and spatial innovation ▲ educational innovation ▲ regional industry and social innovation ▲ governance and operational innovation. The university will actively utilize its infrastructure, including the Global Joint Research Center for Hyper-scale Manufacturing AI, the Global Coding Campus, and the Gyeongnam Global Game Center. It will also innovate the regional industrial ecosystem, including the Changwon National Industrial Complex, which has driven Korea's economic and industrial development, and the Digital Masan Free Trade Zone, which will be established for the first time in the country in Masan Marine New City.

◆ Accelerating Digital Innovation by Expanding the Campus through Openness and Collaborative Linkage

The core plan Kyungnam University is pursuing for official designation is ultimately to become an innovative university by nurturing digital convergence talents capable of successfully leading the digital transformation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex and expanding international exchange programs.

To this end, the university has set 'expanding the campus through openness and collaborative linkage (HUB-SPOKE)' as its core strategy for linkage and spatial innovation. The concept is that the Kyungnam University campus is Changwon, and Changwon is the Kyungnam University campus.

To accelerate digital innovation, the university, together with innovative institutions such as the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute and the Korea Institute of Materials Science, will operate R&D support for collaborative companies, collaborative education for employees, and the JA Professor System, to systematically nurture master's and doctoral-level digital innovation talents equipped with both knowledge and practical skills.

The university is also focusing on strengthening its global capabilities. It plans to produce more than 2,000 international students through international student settlement packages and a global campus education platform linked with overseas universities, and to establish more than 20 global expansion campuses. In addition, by linking with local industries, universities and colleges, high schools, and local governments, the university will foster ▲ talent development ▲ field professional workforce training ▲ digital education support ▲ employment support, thereby strengthening comprehensive linkage and cooperation for the development of Changwon and increasing the resident population. The 'Superlattice 4+1 Campus' linked with the Changwon National Industrial Complex will also be established. As close cooperation among industry, academia, research, and government and the cultivation of creative talents are crucial for the innovative growth engines required for the next 50 years of Changwon's new growth industrial ecosystem transformation, Kyungnam University will establish the 'Kyungnam University DX Promotion Headquarters' in the Digital Free Trade Zone of Masan Marine New City. The headquarters will serve as a hub for 'digital-centered education and research' and, in connection with the Global Joint Research Center for Hyper-scale Manufacturing AI, the Gyeongnam Global Game Center, and the Amazon Startup Innovation Park, will operate and support digital-centered modular education and DX specialized centers. Centered on the headquarters, the following campuses will be operated in Changwon: ▲ Gyeongnam Glocal Vision Campus (Masan Happo-gu) ▲ Gyeongnam Glocal Convergence Campus (Masan Hoewon-gu) ▲ Gyeongnam Glocal Innovation Campus (Changwon Uichang-gu) ▲ Smart Logistics Campus (Changwon Jinhae-gu). These campuses will lay the foundation for digital transformation in fields such as big data, manufacturing software and smart factories, and manufacturing process simulation. Through this, the university will provide close support to companies, from technology development to management consulting, employee training, and startups within the national industrial complex, and contribute to students' successful career development and the growth of local companies through field training, capstone design, and project-based courses.

Park Jaegyu, president of Gyeongnam University, is explaining about the future to students.

◆ Educational Innovation to Foster Talents Who Can Create New Value

Education is also being innovated to foster digital convergence talents based on local demand. The core goal of the 'digital convergence talent' ultimately pursued by Kyungnam University is to ensure that every student is reborn as a 'talent capable of creating new value.' The university helps students acquire basic digital competencies such as programming, data science, and AI utilization skills, so that they can later combine their major with digital capabilities to demonstrate creative problem-solving skills.

The university has introduced a 'domain-based digital convergence curriculum' as the centerpiece of its educational programs. It is abolishing the traditional single-track, department-based curriculum and promoting 'open major selection,' allowing students to freely choose their majors. The four convergence colleges?▲AI/SW ▲Smart Engineering ▲Smart City ▲Digital Humanities and Social Sciences?will recruit students without a declared major, and students will select and complete digital and micro-unit job modules. After completing their studies, students will be assessed on their digital basic competencies and specialized competencies of their choice, and will be qualified to participate in projects with companies that suit them, leading to potential employment with those companies. In addition, the university is focusing on educational innovation through flagship education by introducing project semester systems such as short-term immersion, semester immersion, and year-long immersion programs.

◆ Future Technologies of Gyeongnam Concentrated at Kyungnam University, Including the Global Joint Research Center for Hyper-scale Manufacturing AI

As part of its specialization, Kyungnam University is applying next-generation artificial intelligence, 'hyper-scale AI,' to the manufacturing industry, the main industry of Gyeongsangnam-do, to develop new manufacturing processes and foster talents that will lead the province's new growth engine industries.

To this end, the university has established the 'Global Joint Research Center for Hyper-scale Manufacturing AI' and is nurturing Changwon Masan Happo-gu, where the university is located, as a global innovation hub for the hyper-scale manufacturing AI industry. The global joint research center, jointly operated by Megazone Cloud, KAIST, and Gyeongnam Technopark, is leading the digital transformation by applying 'hyper-scale AI' to the core manufacturing industry of Gyeongsangnam-do and developing core technologies that will drive innovation in global manufacturing through collaboration among industry, academia, research, and government. The center brings together global innovation companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and SAP, as well as major Korean corporations like KT and SK Networks Service, and SMEs such as AI.Nation, RCK, and Markbase, to achieve various innovations.

As the first in Gyeongnam and Ulsan to be selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT's '2023 Software (SW)-centered University' general track, the university is promoting a project worth a total of 22 billion KRW over eight years, funded by the national government, Gyeongnam Province, Changwon City, industry, and university funds. The university is innovating its education to focus on software, nurturing software professionals, and continuously supplying 'demand-driven SW convergence talents' required by more than 100 partner companies, including LG Electronics, Samsung Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Information Systems, and Hanwha Machinery.

In addition, the 'Kyungnam University Global Coding Campus,' which fosters software convergence innovation talents through joint efforts by the region, university, and companies, is drawing attention as a joint research and education center that will lead Gyeongnam's future. The 'Gyeongnam Global Game Center,' established within the university, is revitalizing the Gyeongnam game industry ecosystem by resolving the imbalance of the game industry concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area and providing customized support.