Kookmin University partners with German research institutes, Volkswagen Group Korea foundation
Summary
Kookmin University has joined German research institutes and the Volkswagen Group WE: Foundation to launch a three-year Automotive Future Talent Fostering Program. The MOU, signed on Sept. 3 with Ajou University, Inha University and Chungbuk National University, aims to train future mobility talent with international research experience and interdisciplinary skills. The program will begin in 2027 and send selected students to Germany for about 12 months of research. Kookmin said it will lead domestic selection, curriculum development and university collaboration.
Key Facts
- The MOU was signed with the Niedersachsisches Forschungszentrum Fahrzeugtechnik and the Institute of Automotive Engineering, both affiliated with TU Braunschweig.
- The Volkswagen Group WE: Foundation was also a signatory to the agreement.
- Kookmin University said outstanding undergraduate students from the consortium universities will be selected each year starting in 2027.
- Students will spend about 12 months at research sites in Germany working on autonomous driving, AI for automotive applications and vehicle software.
Partnership aims to cultivate automotive software professionals
Kookmin University President Jeong Seung-ryul, right, poses with Roman Henze, left, director of the Institute of Automotive Engineering at TU Braunschweig, Germany’s oldest technical university, and Till Scheer, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group Korea and chairman of the Volkswagen Group WE: Foundation, after signing a partnership agreement at Volkswagen Group Korea’s headquarters in Seoul on Sept. 3. Courtesy of Kookmin University
Kookmin University has joined forces with German research institutes and a Volkswagen Group Korea-affiliated nonprofit organization to nurture global talent in future automotive software, the university said.
On Sept. 3, Kookmin University, together with Ajou University, Inha University and Chungbuk National University, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Niedersachsisches Forschungszentrum Fahrzeugtechnik (NFF) and the Institute of Automotive Engineering (IAE), both affiliated with TU Braunschweig, Germany’s oldest technical university, to launch the Automotive Future Talent Fostering Program.
The Volkswagen Group WE: Foundation was also a signatory to the MOU.
The signing ceremony was attended by Kookmin University President Jeong Seung-ryul; Till Scheer, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group Korea and chairman of the Volkswagen Group WE: Foundation; and Roman Henze, director of the IAE.
The partnership aims to cultivate future mobility talent with international research experience and interdisciplinary practical skills.
The initiative comes amid rapid changes across the automotive industry driven by advances in software-defined vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving technology.
“Building on our partnership with Volkswagen Group Korea and the Volkswagen Group WE: Foundation, we can now further expand our collaboration with Germany’s IAE and NFF,” Jeong said.
“We will develop this collaboration into a global industry-academia partnership model for cultivating practice-oriented, interdisciplinary software talent capable of excelling on the global stage,” he added.
As the lead university in the Korean University Consortium, Kookmin University said it will spearhead educational and research collaboration among participating universities and play a pivotal role in selecting students, developing domestic curricula and expanding the program.
The university plans to help students connect their domestic coursework with overseas research experience while developing the problem-solving skills required by the future automotive industry.
The three-year program will begin in 2027. Each year, outstanding undergraduate students from the consortium universities will be selected and sent to research sites at the IAE and NFF in Germany.
The students will spend about 12 months working alongside local researchers on projects in future mobility fields, including autonomous driving, AI for automotive applications and vehicle software.
Through the program, Kookmin University expects students to move beyond theory-based learning and gain hands-on experience in real-world research and development environments and international collaborative research.
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