Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has been selected for the SW-Centered University project run by the Ministry of Science and ICT to cultivate professional IT talent required by industry.

This project reforms university education around software to reflect the needs of industry and to train software-specialized interdisciplinary talent who meet the demand for new technologies such as AI.

The SW-Centered University project selected nine universities in total (seven under the general track and two under the specialized track), and JBNU was the only university in the Honam region to receive the honor. Through this selection, JBNU plans to cultivate core software personnel to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution, receiving KRW 15 billion in government support over eight years.

JBNU will operate as an 'SW-centered university leading a new data renaissance in the digital transformation era,' consolidating education and research by integrating two related units—the Division of Computer Science and Engineering and the Department of Information Technology and Engineering—and will establish curricula for core software technologies, industry–university collaboration, and open-source utilization as part of Phase 1 foundational activities.

Through the SW Convergence Education Center, JBNU will create or reorganize 11 convergence education programs, including a new Digital Agriculture-AI convergence track in the Department of Smart Farm. It will establish a student-led industry–university collaboration model by conducting PBL problem-solving-focused industry–university projects, and will also innovate the educational environment by building a cloud-based software education platform.

In Phase 2, JBNU will strengthen industry-demand-based education in software and AI new technologies, and will progressively expand interdisciplinary majors into new technology/advanced departments to generate outcomes and advance the project.

In Phase 3, JBNU plans to share the results of the SW-Centered University education programs and disseminate them regionally, while leading a data renaissance through multidisciplinary academic convergence centered on SW and AI.

Professor Pyun Ki-hyun of JBNU (College of Engineering, Division of Computer Science and Engineering), who is responsible for the project, said, 'As the transition to the digital era accelerates, we will do our best to cultivate outstanding software talent that industry and the new era require.'