Investing 300 Billion Won in Talent Cultivation Projects to Support Regional Growth, with Visible Results across the Field

The "Anchor" project—Gyeongsangbuk-do’s regional growth talent cultivation system—is generating tangible results, leading to secured national budgets, youth employment and settlement, and regulatory special cases for universities.

The Anchor project establishes a university-centered talent cultivation hub encompassing curriculum development, research support, and technology commercialization to foster the workforce required by businesses and industrial sites.

In 2026, Gyeongsangbuk-do is investing 300 billion won, comprising 2.5 billion won in national funds and 50 billion won in provincial funds, to establish a system that nurtures necessary regional talent and connects industries with youth settlement.

① Securing 96 Billion Won in National Funds for High-Tech Industry Talent Cultivation

Gyeongsangbuk-do has secured national funding required to cultivate cutting-edge industry talent in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, including semiconductors, robots, and secondary batteries. It will receive a total of 96 billion won, including 60 billion won over four years for growth engine talent cultivation and 36 billion won over four years for the super-regional shared university.

In the growth engine talent cultivation public contest, Kumoh National Institute of Technology served as the lead university, proposing talent cultivation for advanced semiconductor materials/parts and artificial intelligence (AI) manufacturing robots, and received the highest "S" grade.

Through this selection, the province can now stably cultivate the talent needed for the government's three major projects: semiconductors, Physical AI, and AI data centers. The province views this as the foundation for resolving the labor shortages of local companies and securing additional national funding related to the three major projects.

② Investing 300 Billion Won, Including National Funds, to Foster Regionally Required Talent

Gyeongsangbuk-do injected 300 billion won—consisting of 250 billion won in national funds and 50 billion won in provincial funds for 2026—into 28 Anchor universities to produce the talent needed for Daegu-Gyeongbuk's high-tech and strategic industries.

Centered around universities, businesses and research institutes collaborate to cultivate talent required by industrial sites and support technology research needed by companies. This is based on the judgment that for youth to settle in the region, it is crucial to build a system that enhances their capabilities at the university level and fosters talent matching corporate demand.

Going forward, the province will focus on talent cultivation in four major fields: root and mainstay industries, super-regional strategic industries, future promising industries, and Gyeongbuk-specialized industries. It plans to create a virtuous cycle model where youth learn, work, and settle in the region by institutionalizing corporate-participatory curricula, building a high-tech industry talent ecosystem, and fostering the Gyeongbuk Innovation University.

③ First Year of Anchor Project Yields 3,602 Regional Youth Employment and Settlements

In the first year of the Anchor project, Gyeongsangbuk-do achieved 3,602 regional youth employment and settlement cases, 297 cases of university research performance technology transfers (worth 2.8 billion won), 336 patent applications, and 241 papers published in domestic academic journals and international citation indices.

A total of 42,500 people participated in talent cultivation education programs. Equipped with 120 types of joint research equipment for high-tech and strategic industries and operating 202 industry-linked curriculum programs, the province also expanded its cooperation network with businesses.

The Anchor project is driving youth talent employment in local companies while supporting small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) technology commercialization, field-practical university education, and digital transformation. Beyond mere university financial support, the province intends to build a university-centered innovative talent hub that connects regional industry, education, and settlement.

④ Supporting Youth and Businesses through University-Business Connection Programs

Gyeongsangbuk-do is discovering and expanding linkage support projects so that university technologies and research outcomes can be utilized in corporate fields, serving as growth engines for businesses.

Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) is promoting technology commercialization that discovers patents, technologies, and ideas from research labs, transfers them to local businesses, and connects them to startups. Over the past three years, it has transferred 43 technologies to local companies, helping small and medium-sized/mid-sized enterprises lacking R&D infrastructure secure core technologies. It also implemented a convergence practical commercialization project supporting 13 cases, some of which led to commercialization.

Kyungil University operates early-employment contract departments. Students secure employment at SMEs and mid-sized enterprises upon admission without tuition burdens, while companies are supplied with professional talent matching their demand.

Kyungil University is the only 4-year university in Daegu-Gyeongbuk operating early-employment contract departments, which are run across 7 universities nationwide. It features 7 regional specialized fields, including the Defense Industry Systems Department. With a recruitment quota of 200, it is the second-largest scale nationwide while maintaining top-tier freshman enrollment rates.

Among enrolled students, 29.2% come from regions outside Daegu-Gyeongbuk, with students gathering from all over the country, including 7.0% from the metropolitan area, 12.3% from Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, and 5.7% from the Chungcheong region. Furthermore, 82.9% of graduates are employed at Daegu-Gyeongbuk companies, leading to regional settlement.

Currently, it has signed industry-academic agreements with over 1,100 companies, with 406 companies committing to hire 106 people in 2025 and 109 people in 2026.

⑤ Gyeongbuk Province and Daegu City Join Hands for Super-Regional Talent Cultivation

In line with the government's super-regional policy of cultivating talent on an industrial and economic zone level beyond city-provincial boundaries, Gyeongsangbuk-do is jointly responding with Daegu City in the fields of semiconductors, robotics, secondary batteries, and future mobility.

Starting March 2026, the province has operated a "Super-Regional Talent Cultivation National Fund Response Task Force (TF)" with Daegu City and held a university-centered super-regional talent cultivation forum at the Andong Stanford Hotel. Both local governments are jointly promoting talent cultivation cooperation and discovering and planning industrial-economic zone-level tasks.

The province is also promoting a super-regional shared university project with Kyungbuk National University, a flagship national university. It shares Kyungbuk National University's curriculum and research equipment with universities in the province, expanding cooperation into joint curriculum operations and joint research.

⑥ Implementation of University Regulatory Special Cases for Higher Education Innovation

To enhance the competitiveness of local universities, Gyeongsangbuk-do has also undertaken regulatory reforms that hinder education projects tailored to university characteristics. The regulatory special cases proposed to the government were largely reflected.

These special cases apply to specialized local universities: ▵ Exceptional application of retirement age criteria for inviting distinguished researchers (relaxing the non-tenured faculty retirement age standard of 65) ▵ Additional designation of specialized regional campuses for field-based classes (expanding from Gyeongsan campus to Yeongdeok and Cheongdo campuses) ▵ Expansion of weekly lecture hours for instructors (from 6 to 9 hours) ▵ Expansion of credit recognition scope for cooperative classes (from 1/4 to 1/2 of graduation credits) ▵ Permitting the appointment of external personnel to major positions in national universities ▵ Upgrading the support ratio for standard field-training semester living allowances.

The province plans to continue regulatory streamlining to lower barriers between departments, universities, industries, and regions, helping specialized local universities establish themselves as university-region mutual growth models.

⑦ Gyeongbuk Province Secures Solid Foundation for Advanced Industry Talents including Semiconductors

As high-tech industry investments expand outside the metropolitan area, Gyeongsangbuk-do announced that it has established the talent cultivation foundation that serves as a prerequisite for attracting businesses.

The province has 18 general universities, 13 junior colleges, and 7 cyber/other universities, boasting the highest number of universities outside the metropolitan area. In addition, 300 billion won in Anchor project funds (1.5 trillion won over 5 years) is poured into talent cultivation every year. Last year, it produced about 9,000 high-tech industry talents, establishing a university-centered cultivation system.

The Gyeongbuk Strategic Industry Anchor University project is also being promoted. To foster core talents in artificial intelligence (AI), future aviation, and biotechnology, the province is creating an industrial innovation ecosystem centered around specialized universities with the participation of businesses and research institutes.

To create a talent city linked with universities, it is also pushing for the "AI Talent Innovation University," a campus special zone. It is introducing AI systems across university operations as a whole and working to establish an AI hub connected to regional industries.

⑧ 2026 Freshman Enrollment Rate Reaches 97.8% for 27 Anchor-Executing Universities

The average freshman enrollment rate for the 2026 academic year at Gyeongsangbuk-do's 27 Anchor-performing universities stood at 97.8%, up 2.0 percentage points from the previous year. Among them, the enrollment rate of 15 universities increased compared to the previous year.

Provincial Universities: 38 total (18 general, 13 junior, 3 polytechnic, 3 cyber, 1 graduate)
Anchor-Performing Universities: 29 total (17 general, 12 junior)

Excluding 2 universities including Kyungbuk National University Sangju Campus and University A (universities with restricted financial support).
By type, 15 general universities rose by 1.0 percentage point to 99.9%, and 12 junior colleges rose by 3.3 percentage points to 95.2%.

The province analyzed this as the combined result of internal innovations by provincial universities and regional-university linkage projects, such as the Anchor project, amidst conditions of a declining school-age population and concentration in the metropolitan area.

⑨ Publication of "Gyeongbuk Anchor University Guidebook" Needed by Businesses

Gyeongsangbuk-do has published the "Gyeongbuk Anchor University Guidebook," which summarizes the strengths, industry-academia cooperation, and specialization capabilities of the province's Anchor universities.

The guidebook contains information on 28 Anchor (formerly RISE) executing universities, including 16 general universities and 12 junior colleges. It is organized so that businesses can see at a glance the talent cultivation courses and related departments they need.

The beginning features the "Gyeongbuk Anchor Map," marking key promotion tasks for each university. It also explains the composition of Gyeongsangbuk-do's Anchor system and the four major talent cultivation projects so businesses can easily grasp the business structure.

University profiles consist of ▵ University overview (establishment year, students, faculty, undergraduate departments, campuses) ▵ Industry-academia cooperation status (technology transfer, joint research, field training, employment/startup linkage, patent performance, and corporate linkage cases) ▵ Department status (departments by field) ▵ Equipment status (core equipment list and images). Businesses can compare the strengths of each university and contact points for cooperation with companies and regions.

The province will distribute the guidebook to chambers of commerce, businesses, and regional cooperation organizations, and also post it on the Gyeongsangbuk-do Anchor Center website. It plans to utilize this to facilitate industry-academia cooperation and talent connection between universities and businesses.

Through this, businesses can quickly find universities equipped with the necessary technologies and talent, while universities can broaden opportunities to cooperate with regions and businesses.

⑩ Promoting the Creation of a Talent Ecosystem Where Universities, Youth, and Gyeongbuk Grow Together

Through an organizational reorganization on August 10, Gyeongsangbuk-do integrated the University Policy Division and Youth Policy Division. By bringing together university and youth tasks that were previously pursued separately, the province is creating an ecosystem leading from talent cultivation to youth settlement.

This reorganization aims to connect and strengthen university and youth functions in response to the declining school-age population and youth outflow. By expanding the existing 3 teams to 6 teams, professionalism and execution power have been reinforced.

University and youth policies will be reclassified by target audience and reorganized centering on projects with high youth demand.

In alignment with the reorganization, the province has also set the goal of creating "G(GROW)-Talent Valley Gyeongbuk," a talent ecosystem where universities, youth, and Gyeongbuk grow together. It aims to establish a model where youth learn, work, and settle in Gyeongbuk.

"G(GROW)-Talent Valley Gyeongbuk" centers on full-cycle support: fostering talent through the university Anchor system, supporting growth and challenges through youth policies, and linking to regional settlement in connection with K-U City.

Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Chul-woo stated, "Fostering and securing creative talent in the artificial intelligence era is of utmost importance. At its core are universities, the cradles of talent cultivation. Partnering with local universities and businesses, the province will build an innovative talent cultivation model where local university talent connects to local companies, driving local industry revitalization and regional growth."

He emphasized, "Through this, we will foster high-tech industries, attract businesses, make Gyeongbuk the hub of the nation's high-tech industry, and build a virtuous cycle structure in Gyeongbuk where youth return, stay, and work locally."

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