UST to launch 'AI Mobility' flagship program to train next-generation researchers

A new initiative to train specialists in "AI Mobility" — an interdisciplinary field spanning AI, autonomous driving, semiconductors, battery and energy technology, and advanced materials — is set to get underway. The plan calls for pooling the cutting-edge research facilities and expertise of five government-funded science and technology institutes to cultivate master's and doctoral-level talent for the future mobility industry.

The University of Science and Technology (UST) announced Thursday that it will establish a regional "AI Mobility" flagship major in the South Jeolla Province and Gwangju area, with admissions opening from the first semester of the 2027 academic year.

The program will be led by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) school, with participation from the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), and the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI). The five branch institutes in the Gwangju area will jointly conduct education and research in what UST describes as a regionally anchored, convergence-focused interdisciplinary major.

The program's core focus is intelligent autonomous future mobility. It integrates four areas: "intelligence," centered on AI and semiconductors; "electric propulsion," based on energy and battery technology; "vehicle structure," covering materials and structural engineering; and "human-centered" design, grounded in biotech and healthcare.

Students will have shared access to the advanced research facilities and equipment of the five institutes. The program will also incorporate project-based learning (PBL), in which students tackle real technical challenges faced by major regional companies — including Kia, Gwangju Global Motors (GGM) and Korea Electric Power Corporation — at actual industrial sites. The strategy is to move beyond conventional classroom instruction and produce research-ready engineers capable of solving problems that industry needs addressed.

UST plans to build a government-industry-academia-research collaboration network involving Gwangju Metropolitan City, regional universities and companies, with the aim of stemming the outflow of local talent and attracting skilled researchers from home and abroad to settle in the region. The university is also pursuing a track to recruit talented students from Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries, train them, and connect them with employment at local companies. Semiconductor-related coursework is also set to expand in response to future demand from regional industry.

The AI Mobility major will enroll its first students in the first semester of the 2027 academic year. Admissions information will be made available Friday through the UST admissions website.

UST President Kang Dae-im said the program represents "a new government-industry-academia-research collaboration model that combines the advanced research infrastructure of national laboratory branch institutes with UST's academic system to cultivate R&D talent tailored to regionally specialized industries." He added that UST aims "to connect the unrivaled technological capabilities of national laboratories with regional industry and contribute to making the South Jeolla Province and Gwangju area a globally recognized hub for AI Mobility."