The government has selected three universities for the first package of support under “Creating 10 Seouls National Universities.”
More attention than the selection itself has focused on when and at what scale the remaining flagship national universities may follow.
Plans for Pusan National University, Chonnam National University, and Chungnam National University have been announced, but additional selections are not yet on a confirmed schedule.
3-Line Summary
1. Support for “Creating 10 Seouls National Universities” begins with 3 universities
2. The package for selected universities is approximately 700억 won per university
3. The timing and scale of additional selections remain undecided
Support First Bundled for Pusan, Chonnam, and Chungnam National Universities
The Ministry of Education is pursuing “Creating 10 Seouls National Universities” under a vision of strengthening the education and research competitiveness of 9 flagship national universities to support regional growth and talent development. The institutions selected as the first package-support universities are Pusan National University, Chonnam National University, and Chungnam National University. The result that three universities were selected has been announced, but, as the name suggests, this does not mean that the same support has already been confirmed for 10 universities.
For the three universities, support for regional strategic industries and the artificial intelligence (AI) sector is bundled together with support for Shared Universities in the 5 Poles and 3 Special Regions, which involves cooperation with regional universities. According to reports, this year’s package support is approximately 700억 won per university. Including general financial support for innovation in undergraduate education, the additional support presented for selected universities compared with the previous year is approximately 1천억 won per university. The two figures refer to different ranges of support and should not be understood as meaning the same thing.
The Ministry of Education explained that the selected universities had established education and research plans for training personnel in regional growth-engine industries, along with industry-academia-research cooperation systems, and that their links between balanced-growth strategies and university capabilities had been recognized. It also announced a policy of establishing a separate Performance Management Committee and setting key performance indicators with the participation of universities, local governments, and the private sector. This is why the fact that funding has been allocated must be distinguished from an assessment that the plans have led to results.
Pusan National University submitted plans to establish the Innovation Manufacturing Convergence College, encompassing shipbuilding and marine engineering, mechanical systems, and aerospace, as well as to establish industry-linked contract departments and an AI college. Chonnam National University presented plans for an advanced convergence college centered on advanced semiconductors and future energy, to expand courses involving corporate participation, and to train AI talent. Chungnam National University announced plans to establish the NEXUS College of Science and Technology, which will pursue joint education and research with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, KAIST.
Pusan National University’s plans also include jointly using education and research infrastructure with universities in the southeastern region and operating an interdisciplinary major in the Maritime Capital. Chonnam National University presented a concept for expanding the model of the Amkor Semiconductor Packaging Joint Research Institute to Samsung and Korea Electric Power Corporation, among others. Chungnam National University likewise announced that it would expand cooperation with the Daedeok Innopolis and government-funded research institutes. These are plans submitted by the three selected universities for future implementation, not results showing that all the departments, research institutes, and joint research programs have already been launched.
The “Time Gap” Raised by the 6 Universities Not Selected
The institutions left out of the first round of support are Kangwon National University, Gyeongsang National University, Kyungpook National University, Jeonbuk National University, Jeju National University, and Chungbuk National University. These universities were also reported to receive approximately 300억~400억 won more per university than the previous year through undergraduate education innovation and Shared University programs. However, compared with the first package-support universities, the increase differs by approximately 600억 won, according to the Gyeongnam Domin Ilbo.
This does not mean that the non-selected universities receive no support at all. The core of the controversy is that, compared with the three universities receiving package support first, the timing of the financial investment and the scale of the increase differ. Gyeongsang National University stated that it would participate if a follow-up selection process opened, and expressed concern that differences in when support begins could widen education and research gaps among universities.
The Kyungpook National University Faculty Council and Alumni Association called for the evaluation criteria and selection process to be disclosed. Reports also emerged that the presidents of the 6 universities that were not selected were pursuing a separate meeting. Changwon National University criticized the possibility that a hierarchy centered on flagship national universities could become entrenched if universities not covered by the current program were not also considered. These are demands and assessments by individual universities and organizations, not confirmed facts that there was a problem with the selection process.
The Ministry of Education explained that the selected universities received high evaluations for their links to regional strategic industries, university innovation plans, and ripple effects within their regions. Some reports described the evaluation criteria as consistency with the national growth strategy, the preparedness of regions and universities, and education and research innovation plans. However, no evidence was presented that detailed evaluation scores and review opinions for each university had been disclosed. This is why Kyungpook National University’s failure to be selected cannot be conclusively described as the exclusion of a specific region.
Support Commitment Through 2030 and the Still-Empty Next Sequence
The selected universities were announced as being structured to receive support through 2030. Reports by Korean Broadcasting News and Yonhap News said that support of approximately 700억 won per university would continue, while the Daejeon Ilbo reported a total of approximately 3천500억 won over 5 years. Whether the plans of each university lead to changes in education and research, and how performance management is disclosed, have become as important as the scale of support.
Meanwhile, whether and when additional selections will be made has not been confirmed. The Ministry of Education stated that it plans to review whether to provide additional support by comprehensively considering the selected universities’ performance, the National Assembly’s review of the budget bill, and the opinions of relevant ministries. “Review” means a future judgment, not a decision to expand the program. This is why it cannot be said that the non-selected universities will receive the same package support at any particular time.
The clearest fact in this announcement is that the three universities will receive support first. The next important question is whether the financial resources actually lead to links among regional industries, education, and research. Rather than treating follow-up selections that have not yet been announced as an already determined outcome, it is appropriate to distinguish them until the Ministry of Education issues additional decisions and details on performance management.
References
Tags #Creating10SeoulsNationalUniversities #FlagshipNationalUniversities #PusanNationalUniversity #ChonnamNationalUniversity #ChungnamNationalUniversity #KyungpookNationalUniversity #NationalUniversitySupport #MinistryOfEducation #RegionalUniversities #UniversityFinancialSupport #BalancedRegionalDevelopment #AITalentDevelopment