Korea Aerospace University Selected as Lead Institution for Energy Innovation Research Center on "Zero-Carbon Gas Turbines"

Establishing the Energy Innovation Research Center with an Investment of 8 Billion Won
Cultivating Core Energy-Technology Talent for the Carbon-Neutral Era

Korea Aerospace University has been selected as the lead institution for the "Zero-Carbon Fuel Gas Turbine Design, Manufacturing, and Safety Innovation Research Center" under the energy workforce development program supervised by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. Accordingly, starting in 2026, a total of 8.01 billion won will be invested over six years to establish the Energy Innovation Research Center on campus, led by Professor Jae-Soo Kwak of Korea Aerospace University, and to fully launch research and development in the field of zero-carbon fuel-based gas turbines and the training of specialized professionals.

A view of Korea Aerospace University. Provided by Korea Aerospace University

The Energy Innovation Research Center will serve as a hub for national R&D projects in the design, manufacturing, safety, and operation technologies of gas turbines that use zero-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. Its main research areas include securing material, manufacturing, and quality evaluation technologies for high-temperature components in preparation for the commercialization of zero-carbon fuel gas turbines; studying system operation technologies for zero-carbon fuel gas turbines, including digital twins; and developing compatible technologies that can be applied when converting to zero-carbon fuels. In addition, the center plans to systematize related safety and operation technologies, and to link R&D with education by training experts in the field.

Zero-carbon fuel-based gas turbines are regarded as next-generation energy technologies that will support the surge in power demand in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and the growth of the aviation and defense industries. In particular, since Korea became a holder of power-generation gas turbine technology in 2019, it has been accelerating the localization of related technologies, and the application of zero-carbon fuels is drawing attention as an area that further extends this technological competitiveness.

This project will be run as an industry-academia-research consortium led by Korea Aerospace University, with participation from universities, industrial companies, government-funded research institutes, and energy public enterprises. Inha University and Gangneung-Wonju National University will cooperate in education and research; Doosan Enerbility will support the training of industry-linked talent by operating internships and field training programs and by involving design specialists in education, while also deriving development tasks for zero-carbon fuel gas turbines and verifying research data. Government-funded research institutes such as the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, the Korea Institute of Energy Research, and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute; energy public enterprises such as Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Western Power; and energy and defense companies including Hanwha Aerospace will also participate as partner institutions to support research exchange and talent development.

Professor Jae-Soo Kwak, the principal investigator, is an expert in gas turbines and thermo-fluid engineering. He serves as vice president of the Korean Society for Fluid Machinery and vice president of the Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, and he is the director of the Korea Aerospace University Hanwha Aerospace HUB Center. He has carried out numerous development projects funded by the government and corporations and has accumulated research achievements including patent registrations. Based on this experience, he plans to lead the R&D and talent development framework of the Energy Innovation Research Center.

Through the operation of the Energy Innovation Research Center, Korea Aerospace University plans to systematically cultivate specialists in zero-carbon fuel gas turbine design, manufacturing, and safety, and to contribute to producing core energy-technology talent that will lead the carbon-neutral era and to strengthening the competitiveness of national strategic technologies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.