Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has been selected for the Ministry of Education–overseen 3rd-phase LINC 3.0 Project Group (Leaders in INdustry-university Cooperation 3.0). Since its selection for the first phase in 2012, the university has now been selected for both the second and third phases.

The LINC 3.0 Project is a comprehensive university industry–university–research collaboration support program designed to continuously advance the achievements of the first- and second-phase LINC programs and to create an industry–university–research collaboration ecosystem in which universities and industry develop symbiotically.

On April 28, the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation announced the universities selected for the LINC 3.0 Project: 13 institutions in the Technology Innovation Leading category, 53 in the Demand‑Customized category, and 10 in the Cooperation‑Base Establishment category.

JBNU was selected for the Technology Innovation Leading category among general university LINC 3.0 participants, the category that receives the largest budget, and will receive up to KRW 33 billion in support over six years.

With this selection, JBNU plans to focus on technology commercialization and brand creation, the cultivation of global and new-technology talent suited to the digital transformation era, and the development of models for educational innovation to support these objectives.

In particular, starting in August of this year, JBNU will promote and activate educational programs and mentor–mentee programs linked with Harvard Medical School (Hospital) and with MIT's Media Lab, AI Lab, and Robotics Lab, with which it has already signed agreements.

JBNU will also establish five Industry Collaboration Centers (ICC) that reflect the region’s innovative growth industries and the university’s specialized fields—net‑zero agri‑life, eco‑friendly future mobility, carbon and convergence composite materials, renewable energy, and bio‑healthcare—to create an advanced corporate support system. In addition, it will expand substantive participation by full‑time faculty through continuous improvement of faculty performance evaluation and the development of support measures.

Through the establishment of the "JB-Co-LINC" platform, JBNU plans to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among universities within and across regions to maximize the efficiency of LINC 3.0 Project operations and to maximize its outcomes.

Song Cheol‑gyu, Director of the LINC 3.0 Project Group (Dean of the College of Engineering), said, "Over the past ten years, our university has worked to build an industry–university–research collaboration ecosystem through the implementation of the LINC first- and second-phase projects. In particular, in this third phase, centering on the five ICCs, we aim to provide tangible benefits to companies through collaborative research to resolve companies' technical difficulties, the operation of educational programs, and tailored human resource development." He added, "Our project group is prepared to be at the core of university innovation and to make every effort to achieve visible results for regional and national development."