On November 19, UNIST held the grand opening ceremony for its newly established AI Graduate School. Government officials and business executives joined the event to celebrate UNIST’s milestone.

In April 2020, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) has announced that UNIST has been added to the 2020 list of AI Graduate Schools for intensive support under the government’s initiative to widen the domestic talent pool in the area of AI. The school has secured 19 billion won, as support grants over the next ten years. Besides, Ulsan city has also promised financial assistance of around 2.7 billion won by 2024 for AI-centered innovation.

UNIST has been actively pushing this project forward to boost the cultivation of talented human resources in AI. Under the vision of becoming a ‘Global AI graduate school that contributes to the nation and the southeastern region of Korea,’ UNIST AI Graduate School began recruiting new students from the fall semester of 2020. The school offers an AI-specialized curriculum for the master’s and doctoral degree programs in the fields of general theory of AI (AI Core), R&D and utilization of AI (AI System), and AI-based convergence (AI+X).

Currently, there are 10 full-time professors and 12 adjunct professors at the Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence. They have excellent capabilities in the fields of AI applications, such as machine learning and computer vision, as well as in the fields of using artificial intelligence such as semiconductors, manufacturing, mobility, and healthcare. The Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence plans to hire new teachers every year with the goal of expanding a total of 40 or more teachers, including 16 full-time and 24 adjunct, by 2024.

“Our goal is to produce world-class AI research achievements and thus churning out companies worth $1 billion,” says Dean Sam H. Noh of UNIST AI Graduate School.

Together with the AI Graduate School, UNIST plans to establish an “AI Innovation Park” in the area of the Industry-University Convergence Campus of UNIST, located in Duwang-dong, Nam-gu, starting from next year to share the results of breakthrough AI research with local industries, and bring about technological innovation. In fact, about 300 companies in the Southeast region have expressed their intention to cooperate with UNIST AI Graduate School.

Meanwhile, the ceremony has been attended by the 2nd Vice Minister Jang Seokyoung of MSIT, Mayor Chul-ho Song of Ulsan Metripolitan City, Chairman Byung-Seok Park of Ulsan Metropolitan Council, and other related guests.