To overcome the construction industry's structural challenges of an aging workforce and declining productivity, and to expand the smart construction ecosystem concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area to regional areas, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has rolled up its sleeves. JBNU has partnered with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Jeollabuk-do provincial government, Jeonju City, and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology to establish the 'AI Construction and Robotics Innovation Center,' which will serve as an advance base for regional industrial innovation.

On June 11, at the university headquarters, JBNU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Jeollabuk-do provincial government, Jeonju City, and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology to establish the AI Construction and Robotics Innovation Center. The parties agreed to build a close cooperative framework to foster an AI- and robotics-based smart construction industry and to train specialized personnel.

The establishment of the innovation center carries special significance because it will integrate the region's strong Physical AI capabilities with the existing construction industry base to create a new hub of innovation in the smart construction field.

Under the agreement, the five participating institutions will engage in comprehensive cooperation covering infrastructure development for the center's establishment and operation, administrative and financial support, research and development (R&D) collaboration, technology demonstration, business support, and the training of skilled personnel.

Specifically, JBNU will provide the center's site and space and will take charge of operating training programs for specialists in construction AI and construction robotics. It also plans to actively support the qualitative growth of tenant companies and the industrial application of developed technologies through prototype production, corporate consulting, and technology commercialization.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will oversee policy development and institutional reforms related to smart construction. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology will be responsible for R&D, commercialization, attracting investment, and supporting overseas expansion. Jeollabuk-do and Jeonju City will provide administrative and financial support as well as technology demonstration infrastructure, reinforcing efforts to build a regionally based smart construction ecosystem.

Going forward, the innovation center will operate as a core industry–university–research–government collaboration platform leading R&D and technology demonstrations in AI construction and robotics, startup support, discovery and nurturing of promising companies, and the AX (AI transformation) of regional firms. In particular, it will serve as a practical innovation hub for smart construction, helping local construction companies and startups apply new technologies on-site and commercialize them.

This aligns perfectly with the government's smart construction activation policies, the national AI strategy, and the broader regional balanced development agenda. The participating institutions expect that the innovation center will solidly build a region-led smart construction ecosystem and contribute significantly to strengthening national competitiveness by cultivating key talent to drive the construction industry's digital transformation.

Immediately after the signing ceremony, key attendees toured the 'Physical AI Demonstration Lab' at JBNU and shared AI-based manufacturing and robotics demonstration technologies and outstanding project outcomes. JBNU plans to use this as a starting point to actively connect Physical AI technologies to smart construction, expand the development of automation and intelligence technologies for construction sites, and accelerate the training of interdisciplinary professionals ready for immediate deployment in the field.

President Yang O-bong emphasized, "AI and robotics technologies are future core technologies that will dramatically improve the productivity and safety of the existing construction industry," and stated, "JBNU will strengthen R&D, talent cultivation, and corporate support functions centered on the AI Construction and Robotics Innovation Center to fulfill its role as a smart construction hub university that drives regional industrial innovation and national balanced development."