The Next Generation Communication Project Team (Director Park Joon-seok) at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung-ryul) will hold the 2025 Multidisciplinary Capstone Design (Next Generation Communication) Awards on Thursday, June 19, at the Academic Conference Hall on the first floor of the Kookmin University Main Building.

Kookmin University was selected as the lead university in the “Next-Generation Communications” field of the Advanced Field Innovation Fusion University Project (Local Government Participation Type) organized by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea in June 2023. The university is operating a Next-Generation Communications Consortium with four other universities—Seoul City University, Ulsan Science University, Jeonnam National University, and Korea Aerospace University—and Gwangju Metropolitan City.

The Advanced Field Innovation Fusion University Project is a program that breaks down barriers between universities and departments, enabling students of any major to take courses in advanced fields. The Next-Generation Telecommunications Consortium is setting new standards in education in the field of next-generation telecommunications through the development and operation of interdisciplinary curricula, corporate collaboration, and infrastructure construction.

As the Advanced Field Innovation Fusion University Project (COSS) enters its second phase in 2025, the Next-Generation Telecommunications Project Team is pursuing various programs with the following objectives: operating a joint micro-degree program in next-generation telecommunications based on the achievements of the first phase, expanding industry-linked micro-degree programs, strengthening cooperation between local communities, industries, universities, and research institutions, and increasing scholarship support.

“Interdisciplinary Capstone Design (Next-Generation Telecommunications) I & II+” is an educational program representing the consortium, in which teams formed through credit exchanges between participating universities design, plan, and produce topics that meet the needs of industry and local communities. The program runs for a total of one year, with the first phase (first semester and summer semester)involves team formation, topic identification, and initial product branding through expert mentoring, while the second phase (two semesters, including the winter semester) focuses on verifying the commercialization of results, preparing startup and technology transfer plans, and delivering IR presentations. Students who complete the regular semesters (first and second semesters) can earn 5 credits.

This award is an opportunity to comprehensively evaluate and share the educational achievements of the 2025 academic year's first semester, with four teams (AIRKON, CTRL, D2, RealScent / total of 18 participants) from the Next-Generation Communications Consortium University Alliance participating. The evaluation will be conducted by 14 industry experts in the next-generation communications field (including CEOs and CFOs), who will assess creativity, interdisciplinary integration, and market potential. Successful participants will have the opportunity to advance to the second stage, receive support for prototype development and production, participate in the CES 2026 exhibition in Las Vegas, USA, and access various career and entrepreneurship opportunities.

This award will be conducted through an open evaluation process, and any student or university member interested in cutting-edge fields and interdisciplinary capstone design (next-generation communications) is welcome to attend.

PARK,JUN-SEOK, Director of the Next-Generation Communications Project at Kookmin University (Professor of Electronic Engineering), said, "Through the interdisciplinary capstone design (next-generation communications) award, we anticipate that undergraduate students' creative ideas applying next-generation communications, a core technology of the industry, will serve as a catalyst for entrepreneurship and technology transfer. Additionally, through the open evaluation process, we aim to enhance understanding of the course content, foster collaboration between universities and between engineering and non-engineering disciplines, and develop this program into a flagship course for innovative interdisciplinary education."