Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), which is taking the lead in cultivating talent for industrial innovation, has been selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 'Energy Cluster Talent Development Project' (Principal Investigator: Professor Sun Min‑young, Division of Mechanical Design Engineering).

The project will invest about 8 billion won to train some 300 practice-oriented master's and doctoral students over five years. Three universities—JBNU, Gunsan University, and Jeonju University—will collaborate to carry out the program.

JBNU will conduct research and provide education on offshore wind equipment design technologies linked to recruitment and operation & maintenance (O&M) techniques, together with the Department of Energy Engineering at the Graduate School, the JBNU International Joint Research Institute for Offshore Wind established next to the Learning Library, public power companies, Unison, and eight participating companies.

The Department of Energy Engineering at JBNU's Graduate School plans to train 100 master's and doctoral students in the offshore wind energy field over five years.

To this end, the Division of Mechanical Design Engineering and the Department of Energy Engineering at the Graduate School will establish an Offshore Wind Research Institute over four years and prepare educational equipment. They will also develop and operate curricula and undertake problem-solving industry–university–research projects with regional offshore wind companies and public power companies that have strong technological innovation capabilities. These measures are intended to help master's and doctoral students acquire the practical skills required in industry.

In addition, the project will be supported with a practical-technology focus by leveraging the extensive infrastructure of the JBNU International Joint Research Institute for Offshore Wind—which involves 28 domestic and international organizations—including its R&D achievements and collaborative research projects.

To this end, the Department of Energy Engineering at the Graduate School will select students to receive master's and doctoral program support from graduating fourth-year students between May 16 and July 30.

Professor Sun Min‑young, the overall project leader, said, 'This project is significant in that it will provide practical skills–centered education to master's and doctoral students in cooperation with participating research institutes and companies, and can link that education directly to employment. Through specialized training and collaborative research in areas such as design and analysis of marine structures, fabrication, transportation and installation of offshore wind systems, and operation & maintenance (O&M) technologies, we will provide wholehearted support and play our part so that our students can become the new leaders of localization and advancement of technologies in the offshore wind sector.'