Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) (President Kim Dong-won) and five other universities were selected as lead institutions for the Entrepreneurship-Centered University program supported by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. They declared a vision and signed a memorandum of understanding to expand youth entrepreneurship in the region.

On March 22 at Hanyang University, Minister Kwon Chil-seung of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the presidents of six universities — JBNU, Kangwon National University, Daegu University, Pusan National University, Hanyang University, and Hoseo University — gathered for a vision proclamation ceremony and a signing ceremony.

The 'Entrepreneurship-Centered University' initiative focuses on serving as a hub for regional youth and on strengthening customized startup support tailored to each stage of growth.

Building on this, JBNU has adopted the vision 'An Entrepreneurship-Centered University That Empowers Ambitious Youth and Makes Dreams Come True.' JBNU plans to serve as a hub for regional youth and provide stage-specific, tailored startup support for the pre-startup, early-stage, and scale-up phases.

In particular, it will act as a bridge for business growth by providing stage-specific tailored support centered on regionally specialized industries such as artificial intelligence and hydrogen-battery technologies.

By fostering youth startups at each stage and nurturing outstanding startup companies, the initiative is expected to greatly support the growth of pre-startup and early-stage founders and startup companies.

Kwon Dae-gyu, Head of the Startup Support Group, said, "Local youth will grow and take off through stage-specific, tailored startup support," and added, "Going forward, the JBNU Startup Support Group will lead the expansion of youth entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem in the Honam region."