Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Intellectual Property Professional Training Project Group (Director Yang Yoon-seok) and Gimje Agro-Life Meister High School (Principal Park Jun-ho) have joined forces to cultivate intellectual property (IP) professionals who will lead the agro-life bio sector, a key industry in Jeonbuk.

The two institutions signed a "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Nurturing Region-Based Industrial Talent" at Gimje Agro-Life Meister High School on April 15 at 10:00 a.m., with JBNU Project Group Director Yang Yoon-seok and Principal Park Jun-ho in attendance.

This agreement is part of establishing an industry–university linkage model to systematically cultivate intellectual property professionals within the region, from high school to undergraduate and graduate students.

It is particularly significant because it lays the groundwork to progressively train practice-oriented IP professionals in the agro-life bio field by linking with a national R&D program led by JBNU's Intellectual Property Professional Training Project Group.

Regional industry has long called for interdisciplinary talent with both technological development capabilities and skills in patenting and intellectual property utilization. However, a systematic talent-development system encompassing education, research, and industry has been lacking.

To overcome these limitations, the two institutions agreed to establish a full-cycle cooperation model spanning tailored education, patent application support, and employment linkage.

Main areas of cooperation include ▲ conducting patent application training and invention camps for Meister high school students ▲ linking IP education curricula between high schools and universities and supporting an "employment-first, then higher-education" career pathway ▲ supporting patent applications for student ideas and participation in competitions ▲ building IP-based industry–university collaboration networks and connecting students to employment, among others.

Through this collaboration, students majoring in Seed Industry, Smart Farm Industry, and Biofood are expected to combine their existing technical expertise with intellectual property capabilities to gain the competitiveness required in the industry.

Yang Yoon-seok, Director of JBNU's Intellectual Property Professional Training Project Group, said, "Through close cooperation, we will build a 'growth ladder' that combines intellectual property education and practical experience to continuously produce key talent to drive the regional industry and contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Jeonbuk's agro-life bio industry."