Jeonbuk National University selected for government-backed robotics graduate school project
Summary
Jeonbuk National University has been selected for a government-funded specialized graduate school project in robotics. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy designated its Specialized Graduate School for Robotics as a national strategic advanced-industry graduate school on Monday. The university will receive 15 billion won over five years to train master’s and doctoral specialists in manufacturing robots and AI and build a robotics industry innovation hub.
Key Facts
- The project will be run mainly through the Department of Advanced Robotics under the university’s Graduate School.
- The university said the program will recruit 45 students each year from the 2026 class and aims to train 120 robotics specialists over five years.
- Thirteen faculty members from electronic engineering and bio-industrial machinery engineering will participate in the project.
- The curriculum includes three tracks: robot perception and edge AI, robot control and system integration, and intelligent agri-bio and field robotics.
University to emerge as hub for training physical AI professionals
A student controls a humanoid robot during a demonstration at Jeonbuk National University’s physical artificial intelligence lab. Courtesy of Jeonbuk National University
Jeonbuk National University has been selected for the government-funded Support Program for Specialized Graduate Schools in Advanced Industries.
The university said Tuesday that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy designated the university’s Specialized Graduate School for Robotics as a specialized graduate school for national strategic advanced industries on Monday.
The university added that the specialized graduate school will be operated primarily through the Department of Advanced Robotics under the university’s Graduate School.
Under the program, the university will receive 15 billion won ($10.9 million) in government funding over the next five years.
The university said the funding will be used to foster master’s- and doctoral-level professionals who will lead the fields of manufacturing robots and artificial intelligence (AI).
The funding will also be used to establish a robotics industry innovation hub linked to the region’s advanced manufacturing and mobility industries.
“This selection recognizes the university’s accumulated capabilities in education and research in robotics and AI,” said Park Jae-byung, a professor in the division of electronic engineering, who heads the project.
“We will train specialists in physical AI and robotics who can address real-world manufacturing challenges faced by companies and establish an industry-academia cooperation system linking education, research, demonstration and employment.”
He said the program will help the university and North Jeolla Province grow into a key hub for talent development and technological innovation in Korea’s advanced robotics industry.
A student controls a humanoid robot using smart glasses during a demonstration at Jeonbuk National University’s physical artificial intelligence lab. Courtesy of Jeonbuk National University
The university noted that the department of advanced robotics and the Robotics Innovation and Talent Development Center will play a leading role in setting up a development system for training specialists.
A total of 13 faculty members from the division of electronic engineering, the lead department, and the participating department of bio-industrial machinery engineering will take part in the project.
The university will recruit 45 students each year, starting with the incoming 2026 class, with the goal of training 120 master’s- and doctoral-level robotics specialists during the five-year project period.
The curriculum consists of three specialized tracks: robot perception and edge AI, robot control and system integration, and intelligent agri-bio and field robotics.
The program focuses on the core technologies needed for manufacturing automation, including robot perception and autonomous intelligence, intelligent control and the integration of robot hardware and software.
It will also expand the application of these technologies to a wide range of industries, including agriculture and life sciences as well as unstructured work environments.
A core component of the curriculum is industry-academia collaboration projects that directly link technological challenges faced by companies in actual manufacturing and industrial settings to education and research.
Under the joint guidance of faculty members and industry experts from participating companies, students will carry out the entire process, from problem definition and system design to fabrication, control, AI implementation and validation.
The university said the projects will equip students with the practical skills needed in industry.
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