New RISE Projects Tailored to Education and Industry Sites
17 Universities Selected for New RISE Project
Reflecting Focus on Talent Development and Technology Commercialization
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will invest 60 billion won over four years to train 2,000 artificial intelligence (AI) and science and engineering talents each year. This is the new goal of the "Seoul-type RISE model," which the city has built in line with the regional industrial structure and policy direction.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 13th that it held the 5th Seoul Innovation University Support Committee meeting at the Korea Press Center on the 12th and selected 17 universities to participate in the new "Seoul RISE (Regional Innovation System & Education) Project."
RISE is a project in which the Ministry of Education transfers the authority to execute the budget for university financial support projects from the central government to local governments, thereby promoting co-growth between regions and universities. Starting this year, the city has designated AI and science and engineering as core strategic fields and will promote three new projects: support for AI-related departments, early-employment contract departments in the AI field, and the "Seoul-type BRIDGE" (support for linking and commercializing university technologies with companies).
The "support for AI-related departments" project aims to cultivate 2,000 AI-convergence core talents per year. A total of 11 universities have been selected, and 6 billion won will be provided to one top-performing university, while 5 billion won each will be provided to the remaining universities, for a total of 5.6 billion won in support. The project period is basically two years, with a possible two-year extension.
Under the "early-employment contract departments in the AI field" project, 3 universities will receive 1 billion won each, for a total of 3 billion won in support, with the goal of fostering customized talents at an early stage in line with the demand of the AI industry, alleviating companies' labor shortages, and creating youth jobs.
The "Seoul-type BRIDGE" project will focus on five strategic business areas (AI, robotics, fintech, bio, and creative industries). In cooperation with companies, it will raise the level of research achievements held by universities, such as technologies and patents, to meet corporate needs and link them to technology transfer or technology start-ups. Ten universities will receive 650 million won each, for a total of 6.5 billion won in support.
A total of 35 universities participated in this call for proposals, including 27 general universities in Seoul, 6 junior colleges, and 2 cyber universities, competing for 60 projects at a ratio of about 2.5 to 1. Fourteen general universities will carry out a total of 20 projects and receive 12.1 billion won annually, while three junior colleges will carry out four projects and receive 3 billion won annually. Seven universities will carry out two projects simultaneously.
Going forward, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will notify each university of the selection results through the Seoul RISE Center, go through a 10-day objection period, and then sign agreements with the implementing universities next month. Lee Suyeon, Director General of Economic Policy at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "The new Seoul RISE project will become an innovation channel that directly supplies the educational and research capabilities and achievements of universities in AI and science and engineering fields to industrial sites."
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