Korea unveils plan to transform regional universities into tech hubs

d

Ministry of Education building at Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City / Korea Times file

By Lee Kyung-min

• Published Jun 17, 2026 5:26 PM KST

Korea’s push to rebalance growth beyond the capital region took a major step forward Wednesday as the government unveiled a plan to select three flagship national universities for intensive support, aiming to transform them into regional powerhouses tied directly to strategic industries and artificial intelligence (AI).

The Ministry of Education said that it finalized its 2026 package support university selection plan during an interagency meeting at Government Complex Sejong.

The initiative is part of the government’s “10 Seoul National Universities” strategy, which seeks to strengthen flagship national universities as hubs linking industry, academia, research institutions and local governments.

Under the plan, three universities will be chosen this year for concentrated support across undergraduate education, graduate programs and research institutes connected to regional growth engines and AI development.

The ministry said the selected universities, together with partner institutions participating in a regional university-sharing system, are expected to receive roughly 100 billion won ($61 million) in additional funding per institution compared with last year.

Government officials said the program is designed to align higher education policy with broader efforts to reshape Korea’s economic geography through what it calls a national spatial transformation project.

The selection process will involve cooperation among seven ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resource, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Universities, local governments and private sector partners will jointly submit development plans outlining how they intend to connect academic strengths with regional strategic industries.

A working-level committee composed of government officials and outside experts will evaluate proposals based on four broad criteria: alignment with national spatial development strategies, regional readiness, university preparedness and the institution’s capacity for educational and research innovation.

The ministry said it will distribute detailed application guidelines to eligible flagship national universities and receive proposals through late July.

The final three universities are expected to be selected and announced in the third quarter.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.