Busan City Mobilizes for Official Glocal University Designation... Aiming to Become a Global Hub City

On the 22nd, Mayor Park Hyungjun presides at City Hall; 3:00 PM Dong-A University-Dongseo University alliance, 4:10 PM Tongmyong University-Shinla University alliance

'Glocal University Vision and Innovation Strategy Briefing' held... Presidents of Dong-A, Dongseo, Tongmyong, and Shinla Universities, related institution heads attend

On the 22nd, the Busan Metropolitan Government will hold the "Glocal University Vision and Innovation Strategy Briefing" in the small conference room at City Hall with four universities in the Busan region, where it will establish and announce the innovation vision and strategy for the official designation of Glocal Universities.

Busan City Hall.

The event will take place at 3:00 PM with the Dong-A University?Dongseo University consortium, and at 4:10 PM with the Tongmyong University?Dongseo University consortium.

Presided over by Mayor Park Hyungjoon, the briefing will be attended by the presidents of the four universities?Dong-A University, Dongseo University, Tongmyong University, and Silla University?as well as heads of relevant institutions. With the final evaluation scheduled for August, the event aims to review and discuss the vision and strategic tasks once more.

The Dong-A University and Dongseo University consortium aims to establish an open consortium university in Busan that realizes "mutual benefits between the city and universities" based on an "integrated industrial complex." Their strategy comprises eight key tasks across three major areas: building an open private university consortium model, establishing a sustainable integrated industrial complex-centered open university, and strengthening global urban competitiveness.

In particular, regarding regional industry-linked specialization, they have designated four specialized fields?energy tech (power semiconductors and hydrogen), biohealth, cultural content, and Busan heritage?and plan to secure industrial advancement and regional growth engines through university-industry cooperation.

To achieve this, they will establish consortium university governance and operate a sustainable profit-oriented integrated industry-academia cooperation group, driving educational and research innovation in specialized fields.

The Tongmyong University and Silla University consortium proposes a Busan-style glocal consortium university based on the "Digitech Innovation Town" campus, which leads Busan's future strategic industries. Their strategy consists of six main projects and 21 sub-tasks across three areas: leading regional industries through the establishment of a university-industry hub (Digitech Innovation Town), bold educational innovation through sharing and openness (Big Deal Integrated School), and spreading a sustainable university model based on global standards.

Notably, Tongmyong University and Silla University will specialize in their respective areas of comparative advantage and make bold departmental adjustments. Tongmyong University will focus on future mobility (electric vehicles and digital platforms), while Silla University will specialize in future well-life (silver care and blue food), operating integrated schools in these fields. Both universities also plan to intensively foster the companion animal industry, where they can create synergy.

As a foundation for this, they will establish the "Digitech Innovation Town" campus and promote educational innovation through the integrated school, aiming to cultivate innovative talent and drive industrial innovation.

The city plans to provide administrative and financial support to ensure that the preliminary designated universities are ultimately selected as "Glocal Universities." Furthermore, it aims to foster these universities to be competitive with world-renowned foreign universities, creating exemplary cases of mutual growth between universities and the region.

The city will also attract new companies, research institutes, and innovation organizations by establishing specialized industrial complexes and expanding regulatory free zones, so that local talent can find employment and settle in the region. Comprehensive measures to strengthen residential conditions for young people?including housing, welfare, and culture?will also be meticulously developed and supported.

"Glocal University 30" is a Ministry of Education-led project that designates and supports 30 regional universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area as glocal universities from last year through 2026. The goal is to break down barriers inside and outside universities, both domestically and internationally, and to drive mutual growth between regions and universities through partnerships with local industries.

Prior to the official designation, the Ministry of Education evaluated innovation, performance management, and regional characteristics in April, preliminarily designating 20 universities, including the Dong-A University?Dongseo University and Tongmyong University?Silla University consortium models.

The final selection of approximately 10 universities will be made in August after further evaluation of the preliminary designated universities.

In particular, following last year's official designation of the first Glocal University (Pusan National University?Busan National University of Education), the city has worked diligently this year to expand the wave of university innovation. It has formed joint writing teams with the glocal preliminary designated universities?Dong-A University?Dongseo University and Tongmyong University?Dongseo University?to identify and plan key projects.

Since the preliminary designation in April, the city, together with the designated universities, industry, and regional innovation organizations, has formed the "Glocal University Support Group" to discuss innovation plans for glocal universities and to identify key tasks for nurturing innovative talent in advanced strategic industries and supporting local innovation companies with new technologies.

If both the Dong-A University?Dongseo University and Tongmyong University?Dongseo University consortiums are officially designated as glocal universities by the Ministry of Education in August, it is expected to serve as a foundation for attracting innovative talent to Busan and act as a catalyst for Busan's leap as a "global hub city."

The city will continue to build cooperative partnerships with local universities to ensure that as many Busan-region universities with innovation will and capacity as possible are designated, and will develop additional designation strategies for next year.

Mayor Park Hyungjoon stated, "The foundation of economic development in advanced countries such as the United States and Germany lies in the competitiveness secured through the relentless innovation of world-class universities. Based on the university-industry cooperation created in Busan, we will develop regional universities into innovation growth hubs and move forward to make Busan a 'global hub city.'"