□ DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) announced that it held the “DGIST–Corporate AX Joint Research Lab Launch Ceremony” on Monday, April 27, 2025, at the International Conference Hall of the Research Administration Building, in collaboration with four major companies—HL Mando, SL Corporation, L&F Co., Ltd., and Partron Co., Ltd.—and will begin full-scale efforts to promote AI transformation (AX) in regional industries.
□ This launch is part of the AX strategy jointly established by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the four national science and technology institutes—DGIST, KAIST, GIST, and UNIST. Based on the AX cooperation agreement between the institutes and companies signed last March, DGIST has been implementing AI transformation in industrial settings. In particular, it strengthened its dedicated collaboration framework by establishing the Industrial AX Innovation Center directly under the President this January.
□ The newly established Industrial AX Innovation Center has designated robotics, semiconductors, and advanced biotechnology as its focus areas and will be established and operated through joint investment by the institutes and participating companies. In particular, by leveraging DGIST’s distinctive convergent structure, marked by the coexistence of the academic and research divisions, it has moved beyond individual researcher-centered collaboration to build a “One-Team” industry–academia–research framework, in which faculty, researchers, and corporate R&D personnel work as a unified team. Through this, DGIST plans to rapidly address companies’ technical challenges based on real-world industrial demands.
□ Furthermore, DGIST plans to provide comprehensive support to drive successful AI innovation in regional industries by adopting key implementation strategies such as 1) corporate demand-driven AX validation, 2) the establishment of industrial AX innovation hubs, 3) the identification and commercialization of new AX businesses, and 4) the cultivation of AX talent. DGIST is also expanding collaboration with companies such as Valeo Mobility Korea, Pyung Hwa Industrial, and Sambo Motors.
□ “The DGIST–industry AX Joint Research Lab, where company personnel and researchers work side by side in a shared space to conduct collaborative research, will serve as a key starting point for driving the practical AI transformation of regional industries,” stated DGIST President Kunwoo Lee. He added, “Based on strong industry–academia–research collaboration, we will further enhance the competitiveness of regional companies and contribute to national AI innovation.”
