Chungnam National University selected for physical AI development, talent training project
Summary
Chungnam National University has been selected to lead a government-backed AI technology and talent development program in Seoul. The university will develop core physical AI technologies and train top-tier AI talent over the next five years with up to 11 billion won in funding. The project is led by Park Ji-hun and includes Korea University and local companies such as Kakao Mobility, Hyper Excel and LS Mtron. The team will focus on physical AI applications for unstructured agricultural environments and link model development, hardware optimization and field deployment.
Key Facts
- The Ministry of Science and ICT funds the program, with support from the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation.
- Park Ji-hun, a professor at Chungnam National University’s School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, will lead the project.
- The university said it will receive up to 11 billion won in government research and development funding over the next five years.
- The research team plans to work on multimodal foundation models, optimized on-device inference, multiagent collaboration and continual learning.
- Korea University will participate as a collaborating research institution, while Kakao Mobility, Hyper Excel and LS Mtron will join as industry partners.
Korea University, local companies to join collaborative program
A view of Chungnam National University’s Daedeok campus in Daejeon / Courtesy of Chungnam National University
Chungnam National University has been selected as the lead institution for the government-backed artificial intelligence (AI) technology and talent development program.
The university said Monday that it will develop foundational technologies in physical AI and nurture top-tier AI talent under the program.
The initiative is funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and supported by the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation.
The research project will be led by Park Ji-hun, a professor at the university’s School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
The university said that it will receive up to 11 billion won ($8.2 million) in government research and development funding over the next five years.
The research team plans to develop core physical AI technologies, including multimodal foundation models, optimized on-device inference, multiagent collaboration and continual learning.
The team seeks to use these technologies to address a range of challenges encountered in unstructured agricultural environments.
It also aims to integrate the entire physical AI lifecycle — from model development and hardware optimization to real-world field applications — into research and education.
In addition, the team plans to foster highly skilled AI convergence talent with expertise spanning models, hardware and field applications through collaboration among industry, academia and research institutes.
The project will involve several professors, including Kim Yong-joo and Lee Dae-hyun of the department of smart agriculture systems machinery engineering, Youn Won-keun of the department of autonomous vehicle system engineering and Jang Jong-gyu of the department of electronics engineering.
Korea University will also take part in the project as a collaborating research institution, contributing to joint research and talent development.
Local companies, including Kakao Mobility, Hyper Excel and LS Mtron, will also participate as industry partners, supporting collaboration efforts between industry and academia.
“Through this project, we will focus on developing core foundational technologies for physical AI and turning them into AI technologies that can be applied in real-world agricultural settings,” Park said.
“We will establish a collaborative framework in which universities and industry work together on research and talent development by closely linking model development, hardware optimization and field applications, with the goal of fostering top-tier talent who will lead the field of physical AI.”
Chungnam National University said that through the project, it will strengthen its research capabilities in physical AI and smart agriculture.
The university also plans to establish an integrated research and education system spanning foundational technology development, field applications and the training of specialized talent, positioning itself as a leader in the field.
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