Pukyong National University and Geumyang Collaborate to Establish Korea's First Interdisciplinary Program in Secondary Batteries

Ministry of Education Attracts 'Secondary Battery Specialized University Support Project' and Cooperates to Train Local Secondary Battery Experts

National Pukyong University (President Jang Youngsoo) and Geumyang (Chairman Ryu Gwangji) have joined forces to foster professionals specializing in secondary batteries, including the establishment of the nation’s first industry-academia-linked interdisciplinary major in this field.

Professors from Pukyong National University visiting Geumyang are taking a commemorative photo with Chairman Ryu Kwangji (center).

This year, National Pukyong University will engage in comprehensive cooperation with Geumyang to attract and implement the “Secondary Battery Specialized University Support Project,” a Ministry of Education initiative supporting talent development in advanced industries.

This project will select three universities nationwide this year and provide each with over 12 billion KRW in government funding to support the development of undergraduate-level talent. Selected universities will establish talent development systems over four years, launch and operate industry-demand-based curricula, secure outstanding faculty, and build advanced industrial competitiveness through the integration and operation of cutting-edge equipment in the secondary battery sector.

National Pukyong University and Geumyang plan to establish the nation’s first industry-academia-linked interdisciplinary major for secondary battery professionals, the “Department of Energy Convergence Technology Engineering.” The goal is to produce experts in next-generation battery processes and materials.

With the establishment of this department, company-oriented professionals will be trained through a specialized interdisciplinary curriculum in secondary battery processes and materials. In addition to double majors for students in existing secondary battery-related departments, specialized secondary battery education for students from other departments aims to produce 300 double majors and 300 micro-degree holders over four years. More than 10 global talents will also be trained annually. To support this, Geumyang has pledged to provide 800 million KRW in private matching funds as scholarships.

National Pukyong University is currently building a secondary battery-specialized industry-academia innovation laboratory at the Yongdang Campus (Dragon Valley). This laboratory will offer a comprehensive educational environment for both theoretical and practical training, joint research with resident companies, and student entrepreneurship activities, enabling education from laboratory-scale to mass-production processes in electrode manufacturing. The campus laboratory and Geumyang’s joint secondary battery R&D center will collaborate to support not only large-area pouch cell production using dry rooms but also company-linked electrode material recycling, lithium mineral processing, and advanced material synthesis research.

In particular, Geumyang plans to invest a total of 800 billion KRW by 2026 to construct and operate a secondary battery production plant with a capacity of 300 million cells in Gijang-gun, Busan. Once operational, the plant is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs, with 30% of these positions prioritized for local talent. Geumyang’s investment and collaboration with National Pukyong University are anticipated to drive not only the development of the regional secondary battery industry but also to enhance South Korea’s global competitiveness in the secondary battery sector.