□ On Monday, January 5, at 9:00 AM, DGIST (President Lee Kunwoo) held its New Year Ceremony at the University Convention Hall to welcome 2026, the Year of the Red Horse.
□ In his New Year address, President Lee stated, “Just like the energy of the Year of Beong-oh, which symbolizes the Red Horse, I expect 2026 to be a year in which DGIST leaps forward even more strongly and dynamically.” He added, “We have run relentlessly together with our members to fulfill the promise made at my inauguration: to leap forward to become a world-class university.”
□ President Lee also noted that DGIST made significant progress over the past year in education, research, industry–academia collaboration, and internationalization. In terms of educational innovation, the Graduate School of Engineering Practice and the Convergence Talent Academy were established, and the Graduate School of Technology and Innovation Management is scheduled to open early this year. At the 2025 graduation ceremony, DGIST conferred degrees on 414 talented individuals. The undergraduate rolling admissions competition rate reached 27.85 to 1, the highest among specialized science and engineering universities, and has remained so for three consecutive years. Furthermore, DGIST recruited 49 new faculty members, including foreigners, and appointed “Gwedo,” a science communicator, as a special professor to promote and expand science culture.
□ In terms of research innovation, it selected Physical AI (Artificial Intelligence), Human Digital Twin, and Quantum Sensing as its three major future strategic fields and secured large-scale national policy projects by establishing a strategic task force. Additionally, DGIST secured an Institute for Basic Science (IBS) research group for the first time since 2012. Among research institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area, DGIST is the only one to have two research centers selected for the Glocal Lab program, securing KRW 27 billion in government support over the next nine years.
□ DGST also achieved notable outcomes in terms of value creation. Student startups Quester and SilicoFarm achieved outstanding results in national startup competitions. Through the Corporate Innovation Growth Platform, DGIST helped resolve 52 technical challenges faced by local companies, fostering mutual growth with regional industries.
□ In terms of internationalization, DGIST elevated its global status by successfully hosting major international events, such as the WEEF & GEDC 2025 and the Nature Conference. Furthermore, DGIST ranked fourth globally and first domestically in the “Citations per Faculty” category of the QS World University Rankings 2026. It also achieved a major milestone by signing 26 international cooperation agreements with universities and institutions abroad.
□ President Lee presented three key directions for DGIST’s advancement in 2026: first, establishing an AI-based AX talent development system; second, strengthening its role as the control tower for the Daegu–Gyeongbuk region’s AX strategy; and third, accelerating internationalization to advance as a global university. He emphasized that, in the era of AI transformation, DGIST must lead national transformation as the execution hub for AX (i.e., AI transformation) innovation, connecting research, talented people, and industry.
□ “DGIST must go beyond being a mere research-focused university and become a world-class global innovation university that drives regional and national industries,” President Lee stated. “By fostering innovation that connects research, talent, and industry, we will bolster competitiveness across education, research, and industry, thereby enhancing national competitiveness.” He further noted, “Moving forward, we will continue to advance our educational and research capabilities based on innovation and communication to drive sustainable growth.”
