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The South Korean government has launched funds for a new funding program for post-doctoral students that develop artificial intelligence (AI) for use in other research and technology fields. As part of Innocore, eight research groups were selected to recruit up to 400 AI talents from home and abroad in the coming years. The aim is to stop the Braindrain and at the same time win foreign specialists for the South Korean science system. The South Korean research system has a comparatively small number of postdoctoralands. At the same time, the South Korean government has recognized that young researchers play a crucial role in implementing AI in research and development in other science and technology areas. With the new Innocore funding program (Innovation + Core Researchers), both aspects are to be addressed.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) has in cooperation with four leading national science and technology institutes- Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (Kaist), Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST), Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (Unist)-Eight Innocore research groups selected. These are intended to recruit outstanding post-doctoral students from home and abroad in order to promote the convergence of AI, science and technology in top research.
All four institutes and other national and international partners are involved in the eight research groups-in addition to British and American universities and companies, the Max Planck Society and the German Aerospace Center. The groups deal with the integration of AI in areas such as active ingredient development, energy generation (including hydrogen) and aerospace.
The MSIT and the four institutes want to prevent the emigration of specialists, promote the return of South Korean doctoral students from abroad and recruit outstanding young researchers from all over the world. The initiative is a reaction to the increasing worldwide competition - especially in Europe and China - about top forces in AI, science and technology.
In the South Korean supplementary budget 2025, which was approved in early May, 30 billion KRW (EUR 19 million) was initially planned by Innocore for the first six months. In the long term, the government intends to provide EUR 300 billion KRW (EUR 190 million) over a period of five years in order to hire a total of 400 post -doctoralands. These receive a guaranteed annual salary of 90 million KRW (57,000 EUR), which is located well above the current salary average (48 million KRW) by post -doctoral students in South Korea and can be supplemented by project funds and funding from the economy. The first post -doctoralands are expected to start their work in July 2025.
Innocore is advertised with events abroad as well as the media and online platforms.
For reading MSIT (June 23, 2025): Korea Launches Innocore Postdoctoral Recruitment to Stem Brain Drain and Re-Shore Ai Talent
Source:
MSIT
Editor:
24.06.2025
By Tim Morsch, VDI Technology Center GmbH
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