Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has been selected in the robotics category of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s "2026 Advanced Industry Specialized Graduate School Support Project." Accordingly, JBNU will receive a total of KRW 15 billion in national funding over the next five years to train master’s and doctoral professionals who will lead the fields of manufacturing robotics and Physical AI, and to establish a robotics industry innovation hub linked to the Jeonbuk region’s advanced manufacturing and mobility industries.

On August 31, the Ministry designated and announced JBNU’s Robotics Specialized Graduate School as a national advanced strategic industry specialized graduate school. JBNU’s Robotics Specialized Graduate School will be operated primarily through the Graduate School’s Department of Next-Generation Robotics Convergence.

This year’s call received applications from 22 non-metropolitan graduate schools. Evaluations of each university’s educational and research capabilities, industry demand, and links to regional growth industries resulted in the selection of six graduate schools across four advanced industry fields. In the robotics field, JBNU and Kyungpook National University were selected.

With this selection, JBNU will establish a system for training master’s and doctoral professionals to lead manufacturing robotics and Physical AI, centered on the Department of Next-Generation Robotics Convergence and the Robotics Innovation Talent Development Center.

The curriculum will consist of three specialized tracks: Robotics Perception and Edge AI; Robot Control and System Integration; and Intelligent Agri-Life and Field Robots. Education will focus on core technologies needed for automation and intelligentization of manufacturing sites—such as robotic perception and autonomous intelligence, intelligent control, and integration of robot hardware and software—and will extend applications to various industries, including agri-life and unstructured work environments.

In particular, industry–university projects that directly link the technical challenges companies face in real manufacturing and industrial sites to education and research will be operated as a core part of the curriculum. Students will receive joint supervision from industry experts and faculty and carry out the full process—from problem definition to system design, fabrication, control, AI implementation, and validation—acquiring the practical competencies required in industrial settings.

Advanced laboratory and practical infrastructure—such as robotic arms, mobile dual-arm robots, humanoid and quadruped robots, tactile grippers, and high-performance AI computing equipment—will be established in phases. Using these, JBNU plans to create educational and validation conditions similar to real manufacturing environments and to pursue joint research with companies, technology verification, and field‑customized training.

Thirteen faculty members from the host department, the Division of Electronic Engineering, and the participating Department of Bioindustrial Machinery Engineering will take part in the project. JBNU plans to progressively expand participation by related on-campus departments linked to robotics to strengthen the foundation for interdisciplinary education and research.

Starting with the 2026 intake, JBNU will enroll 45 new students annually, aiming to produce 120 master’s and doctoral-level robotics professionals over the project period. The university also intends to establish a talent-development system that links education, research, validation, and employment through company-linked education, field training, internships, and employment/startup support.

Through this project, JBNU is expected to combine its accumulated robotics and AI research capabilities with the Jeonbuk region’s advanced manufacturing and mobility industry base to emerge as a core education and research hub in manufacturing robotics and Physical AI. It also plans to support local companies’ robot adoption and manufacturing innovation and to create a virtuous ecosystem in which outstanding talent can grow and settle within regional industries.

Professor Jae‑byung Park of the Division of Electronic Engineering, the project’s principal investigator, said, "This selection recognizes the educational and research capabilities JBNU has accumulated in robotics and artificial intelligence." He added, "Centered on the Department of Next-Generation Robotics Convergence, we will train Physical AI and robotics professionals capable of solving real manufacturing-site problems and build an industry–university cooperation system that organically links education, research, validation, and employment."

He added, "Through this, JBNU and the Jeonbuk region will grow into a core hub for talent development and technological innovation in South Korea’s advanced robotics industry."