The government will support universities to produce professional academic personnel who will lead the future advanced city sector.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 28th it will recruit participating institutions for the "AI·smart city innovative talent cultivation program" from four-year universities nationwide to train advanced talent with integrated capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) and smart cities.
The program focuses on increasing the number of practice-ready talent who can be deployed immediately to the urban industry field in step with the trend of AI technology standardization. Eligible applicants are four-year universities that operate AI- or smart city-related majors, or can run specialized tracks by combining two or more related majors, and a total of four universities will be selected. To promote balanced development and strengthen capabilities in non-capital regions, more than half of the total selection will be allocated to universities outside the capital area, but this may be adjusted depending on whether requirements are met.
Universities ultimately selected will receive support for student scholarships, domestic and overseas practicum programs, and the expense needed to carry out projects linked with corporations. In the first year, 280 million won will be invested per project group, and afterward, support funds will be distributed differentially based on annual evaluation results. Universities must also shoulder at least one quarter of the program budget themselves.
Specific standards have also been set to raise the qualitative level of the curriculum. Each university must fill at least 30% of all courses with AI-based technologies and is required to include field-tailored programs linked with local governments and industry, as well as exchange courses with overseas institutions. Universities wishing to participate can submit applications through the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) for two days starting Oct. 28.
Yun Jong-su, head of the Urban Economy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "An AI city is a new model of a future city that advances the Smart City by one step and is a crucial field that determines the competitiveness of the nation and cities," adding, "Through this program, we will foster convergent talent equipped not only with AI·smart city expertise but also with practical capabilities demanded in industry, and we will actively support Korea in securing the lead in the global AI city competition."
Meanwhile, the government has pursued workforce development policies in the smart city field three times since 2009, producing more than 10,000 experts to date and achieving outcomes including the presentation of over 800 academic papers and the filing and registration of more than 600 patents.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Jeong Min-ha
Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: Chosun Biz, 28.09.2026
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