Ministry of Education Announces Results of "2026 Advanced Industry Specialized University Financial Support Program"
11.6 Billion Won in Funding Over Four Years
The government has newly selected a total of five universities this year in the bio and robotics fields as "Advanced Industry Specialized Universities." On the condition that they foster talent specialized in the selected fields, these universities will receive 11.6 billion won in funding over four years (2.9 billion won per year).
On February 13, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology announced the results of the selection for the "2026 Advanced Industry Specialized University Financial Support Program." In this program, which selects bio-specialized universities and robotics-specialized universities, a total of 50 universities applied, and 5 universities were finally selected. In the "bio" field, Sungkyunkwan University and Ajou University were chosen, and in the "robotics" field, Changwon National University, Kwangwoon University, and Inha University were selected. The Ministry of Education explained, "With the recent advent of the physical artificial intelligence era, we established the robotics field and selected three universities in light of the importance of robotics talent for securing next-generation technological sovereignty." It added, "In the bio field, which is drawing attention as a new growth engine and as the core of innovation in medical technology, we selected two universities."
The competition rate was 12.5:1 in bio (3 selected out of 25 applicants) and 8.3:1 in robotics (2 selected out of 25 applicants). Based on government funding, these universities plan to operate departments and majors in advanced industry fields and to enhance their curricula by strengthening basic education and expanding industry-academia cooperation. They also plan to build infrastructure for advanced education, such as securing outstanding faculty members and establishing experimental and practical training environments, and to promote further study and employment among participating students by operating undergraduate research programs.
Since 2023, the government has been designating and operating specialized universities to foster talent tailored to advanced industry fields such as "semiconductors, secondary batteries, bio, and robotics," and has enabled these universities to develop and operate specialized curricula through four years of financial support. Through this "Advanced Industry Specialized University Financial Support Program," the government aims to establish a foundation for training not only bachelor-level personnel but also master’s and doctoral-level talent. Including the five universities newly selected this year, a total of 33 universities receive financial support as specialized universities: 20 in semiconductors, 5 in secondary batteries, 5 in bio, and 3 in robotics, with a total support budget of 120.9 billion won.
Lee Yunhong, Director General of the Artificial Intelligence Talent Support Bureau at the Ministry of Education, said, "Securing talent is essential to ensuring the competitiveness of national advanced industries and building a sustainable growth system," adding, "We hope that advanced industry specialized universities will establish themselves as leading universities that spearhead the cultivation of future advanced talent."
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