You may hear the words, industry-academic cooperation or LINC which belongs to Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation more than once, nowadays. Industry-academic cooperation means that the industrial and academic world cooperate for their own sake. It has great significance that the cooperation can lead innovation for education in quality and technological-management with increased productivity. There has been regarded mismatch between capacity from curriculums of universities and talented people whom industrial settings require. However, industry-academic cooperation can foster talents who can lead national industry. In this sense, industry-academic cooperation has a crucial point for industry-academic future. I hope KU students recognize the importance of industry-academic cooperation, be interested in it, and participate in it. Therefore, I will introduce Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of KU. I also interviewed Kang Jae-kwan, the chairman of Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation.
Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation is an industry-academic network that both universities and industries can coexist and progress. It was established to promote local industries and foster high-quality human resources. In addition, KU established an office to support professors’ research. KU promotes unified operation between the office and the cooperative foundation hoping for academic, local development and increased capability in research. Various networks of exchange and cooperation were established with industries, public institutions, and research institutions locally so that industry-academic cooperation becomes available effectively.
Plans for sustainable development of KU with industry-academic cooperation
Virtuous circle of activating education and research activation have an algorithm respectively.
The ultimate plan can activate sustainable development of KU with industry-academic cooperation by securing government-funded projects like Leaders in Industry-University Cooperation(LINC+).
Project of innovating local society contest for undergraduates
A project of innovating local society contest for undergraduates was held in Hanma Miare Gwan on Devember 7, 2018. The purpose of this contest seeks students’ infinite possibility in ideas of commercialization, solving local problem, and training innovators in local society. LINC+ Entreprise Organization operates a subject which is connected to local community every semester. 44 teams which took the class participated in the contest.
The first prized team was ‘학교폭력나쁘조’. The name of the team means that school violence is bad. They made a book and a website, ‘Branch book’ which emphasizes the importance of reality and prevention from school violence. Teenagers can criticize and analyze thinking processes by themselves, without instructors. It is meaningful that it can be used as a real class or a program in middle or high school. In addition, the second prized programs were a muscle strengthening program for the elderly and an education program about improving anemia.
2019 Industry-Academic Fair
2019 Industry-Academic Fair was held at CECO on January 16, 2019. The aim of the fair was to share results and outstanding cases of 2018 industry-academic cooperation, and to interchange with other people consistently. One of the outstanding cases of last year was Hwang Sun-hwan’s, a professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering at KU, ‘going and coming industry-academic cooperation’. He announced, “I was very glad to have a chance to introduce KU’s research capabilities in Smart Grid which is representative of the fourth industrial revolution. Our research team would immerse ourselves in study and contribute to safe and economical electric power supply.”
2019 Social Innovation Camp
The 2019 Social Innovation Camp was held at Hanma Gwan on January 28, 2019. The topic of the event was ‘Innovators of local community dream of new city together,’ and the event had a special lecture to foster innovators of community and realize a local based university. In the lecture, young people, especially university students were highlighted as the cultural power behind city recycling.
In conclusion, Kang Jae-kwan, the chairman of Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, said, “I think it is important for universities to maximize students’ ability so that they can grow into main agents of innovation of local society. Therefore, the foundation tries to make a stage where students who can grasp and solve local problems based on knowledge related to their major and work. Moreover, KU consistently cooperate with small and medium-sized businesses. I will constantly try to make Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation take one step closer to the field of enterprise.”
