The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Defense Technology Promotion Research Institute announced on the 21st that 14 master’s graduates have been produced from Seoul National University of Science and Technology and Kwangwoon University through the ‘Defense Unmanned Robot and AI’ defense industry contract department support program.
Seoul National University of Science and Technology produced 5 master’s degree holders, and Kwangwoon University produced 9. Each university will hold an award ceremony on August 21st (Thursday) and August 26th (Tuesday), respectively.
The ‘Defense Industry Contract Department Support Program’ is a system that reflects the needs of the defense industry to operate advanced defense degree courses and foster master’s and doctoral-level research personnel. Last year (2024), 11 master’s graduates were produced in the ‘Defense Space’ field with the participation of Sejong University, Yonsei University, and Hanbat National University. This year, 14 master’s research personnel were produced for the first time in the ‘Defense Unmanned Robot and AI’ field.
Each university has operated industry-centered customized curriculum through the project. In particular, students who entered under employment conditions will continue their research by joining defense companies with which employment agreements are made after obtaining their degrees.
The Defense Intelligence Application Department at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (President Kim Dong-hwan) conducted education centered on industry-academia cooperation through regular meetings with defense companies and student-company linkage projects, fostering personnel with specialized research capabilities in defense artificial intelligence. Kwangwoon University (President Yoon Do-young) linked its ‘Defense Business Department’ established in 2007, conducting collaborative research and projects to secure unique characteristics of defense contract departments.
Previously, DAPA held a ‘Defense Industry Contract Department Support Program Performance Presentation’ last July to share achievements in advanced defense personnel training projects. It plans to expand the scope of research personnel training to include sensors and electronic systems, advanced materials, and cyber-network-related new defense industries and ten core defense strategic technologies.
Kim Il-dong, Director of the Defense Industry Promotion Bureau, said, “It is essential to nurture research personnel in the intelligence and unmanned robot fields to secure the future advantages on the battlefield through intelligent battlefield recognition and autonomous mission execution. The government will continue to pursue personnel training policies tailored to the needs of defense companies to secure advanced research personnel.”