Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Advanced Mobility Project Group, led by Professor Deokjin Lee, has officially embarked on the second year of the 'Mid-Sized Companies–Regional Innovation Alliance Support Project' to train advanced industrial talent and strengthen joint research and development (R&D) linked with regional anchor mid-sized companies.

The Project Group held the '2026 Mid-Sized Companies–Regional Innovation Alliance Support Project Second-Year Kickoff and Quarterly Operational Meeting' at the Jeonju Lahan Hotel on March 6, 2026.

Key stakeholders from industry, academia, research, and government attended, including JBNU, the Jeollabuk Special Self-Governing Province, Wanju County, the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), Hansol Chemical Co., Ltd., DH Autoread Co., Ltd., and the Jeonbuk Regional Industry Promotion Agency. They discussed the project's direction for the year and measures to strengthen cooperative frameworks among participating institutions.

As part of technical exchanges among participating institutions, Seong-hwan Jeong, Center Director of the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), delivered a special lecture titled 'Mobility Autonomous Driving and Cooperative Control Technologies Based on Perception of Unstructured Road Environments,' sharing the latest research and technological trends in the advanced mobility field. JBNU and other participating institutions then presented their core implementation plans for the second year and reviewed detailed linkage strategies to produce effective industry–university–research collaboration outcomes.

In particular, the meeting's core agenda addressed plans to establish and operate a 'Mobility and Secondary Battery Education Center' and 'Innovation Laboratories' to expand advanced industrial research infrastructure.

Participants held in-depth discussions on tailored joint R&D strategies that reflect the practical technological needs of anchor mid-sized companies in the Jeonbuk region and on establishing a system to train master's- and doctoral-level specialized research personnel to carry out these projects.

Professor Deokjin Lee, Director of the JBNU Advanced Mobility Project Group (Professor, Division of Mechanical Design Engineering), said, 'This kickoff event will further solidify the collaborative foundation among participating institutions from industry, academia, research, and government, and it will serve as an opportunity to advance an industry–university collaboration model based on the actual technological needs of mid-sized companies. We will concentrate the Project Group's capabilities on leading technological innovation in advanced mobility and secondary batteries and on training specialized research personnel who will fundamentally enhance the region's industrial competitiveness.'