UNIST signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for mutual growth and support with LG Electronics Inc., a major electronics and telecommunication company based in Seoul, South Korea. The aim of this cooperation is to reinforce the cultivation of innovative talents through the development of new technologies for the future.
The MoU signing ceremony for industrial cooperation between UNIST and LG Electronics Inc. was held at LG Electronics Inc.’s R&D center in Changwon on Thursday, July 9, 2020. Following the ceremony, the attendees were given the opportunity to tour the R&D center, and thus discussed future plans for industry-academia cooperation between the two organizations.
This agreement can be viewed as an expansion of previous agreement signed in 2015. With the support from LG Electronics Inc., many talented individuals have been able to continue their education, and were even offered to join the firm after graduation. Under the new agreement, the two sides will work toward the common goal of cultivating S&T talents through 1) industry-academia research projects, 2) academic training programs, and 3) the exchange of research personnel, academic materials, and other information.
Along with the existing ‘UNIST LG Track’ industry-academia scholarship system, the collaboration entails organizing the ‘Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation Council’ and the discovery of industry-university cooperative research projects, and thus promoting joint research to produce professionals in the S&T fields.
“We seek ways to promote joint research with LG Electronics Inc. based on excellent research capabilities in various fields, such as machinery, AI, power electronics, ergonomics, and design,”says Professor Soon-Yong Kwon, Dean of Office of University Industry Relations, UNIST. “We expect to achieve breakthrough performance through such collaboration.”
Under the agreement, the two sides also agreed to facilitate an education program that allows employees at LG Electronics Inc. to pursue both master’s and doctorate degrees at UNIST. Accordingly, the selected employees will be able to complete education courses offered by UNIST, including the newly-established Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence.
“We are delighted to establish a cooperative relationship with LG Electronics Inc., one of South Korea’s major electronics firms towards a common purpose of promoting future growth engines,” says President Yong Hoon Lee of UNIST. “We hope to lead the world and the industries of the future through joint research projects and industry-academia collaboration.”
