Korea Research Foundation, university council join hands to advance higher education ecosystem

The Korea Research Foundation held a roundtable Tuesday with the Korean Council for University Education to explore ways to advance the higher education and academic research ecosystem.

The meeting featured presentations on the progress of university fiscal support projects and the broad direction for building an anchor framework to drive regional innovation. Officials outlined key projects the foundation is prioritizing to carry out core state tasks — including the "brand college" initiative and regional talent development — as well as presidential directives, drawing understanding and support from those in attendance.

The Academic Promotion Division explained plans covering the selection of hub national universities to nurture regional talent linked to each region's growth engines, a new initiative to foster specialized leading universities among local institutions, and the planning of the fifth-phase BK21 project and the Advanced Field Innovation Convergence University 2.0 program.

The Central RISE Center presented proposals centered on its Regional Growth Talent Development System — formerly known as RISE and now rebranded as the Anchor framework — including the 2026 restructuring direction, a plan to develop talent across broad metropolitan regions through a five-hub, three-special-zone shared university model and a wide-area growth engine talent program, and a restructuring plan for specialized local universities under the Glocal initiative.

In the discussion that followed, participants including university presidents expressed support for the policy directions of the ministry and the foundation, and engaged in substantive exchanges to identify practical measures and areas for improvement that would help the policies take root effectively on campuses.

Hong Won-hwa, chairman of the Korea Research Foundation, said the foundation would "actively reflect the suggestions from the field and continue to work closely with the Korean Council for University Education so that university fiscal support projects and academic promotion policies can provide real, tangible help to universities."