△ Students are participating in a creative convergence hands-on program linked to the RISE initiative at Kookmin University’s multi-purpose learning and cultural space, “Haedong Creators Library (K*reator’s Library).”

To mark its 80th anniversary, Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) has unveiled its vision to be “a university that sets the standard for higher education” and its slogan, “Make the Rule, Break the Rule.” Building on this, the university is implementing the ANCHOR (Regional Growth Talent Development System, formerly RISE) project at local innovation hubs. Kookmin University achieved the distinction of being selected for four projects during the initial selection phase of the Seoul RISE initiative.

Since then, by linking these initiatives with the “Seoul Campus Town Project” and the “Seoul-type BRIDGE Project,” the university has established and is currently operating a project framework comprising a total of six projects with a total budget of 20.4 billion won.

The spirit of entrepreneurship emphasized by President Jeong Seung Ryul—specifically, “creative ideas aimed at solving social problems and a spirit of challenge that is not afraid of failure”—is the core value that permeates the entire Kookmin University RISE project. Based on this, Kookmin University is working to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem that nurtures talent, supports corporate innovation, and ultimately addresses regional issues.

△ Students are working on a joint project with international students at Kookmin University’s multi-purpose learning and cultural space, “Haedong Creators Library (K*reator’s Library).”

◇Integrated Platform for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Industry-Academia Collaboration

The most distinctive feature of Kookmin University’s RISE initiative is that its six components are not isolated but are organically interconnected within a single framework. The curriculum is linked to the cultivation of future talent, while industry-academia collaboration reflects the needs of businesses and industries. The regional problem-solving component connects the university’s capabilities with the lives of citizens, and lifelong education expands the scope of university education to encompass the entire lifespan. The Campus Town project fosters the startup ecosystem, while the BRIDGE project connects research outcomes to technology transfer and commercialization.

In this way, Kookmin University’s RISE project is designed to integrate education, research, industry-academia collaboration, entrepreneurship, lifelong education, and regional problem-solving within a single platform. Each initiative generates independent outcomes while also serving to connect student growth pathways, corporate innovation needs, and local community agendas.

The “Revitalization of the Industry-Academia Collaboration Ecosystem” initiative serves as a foundational project that connects Kookmin University’s educational, research, and industry-academia collaboration resources with businesses and the local community. Kookmin University aims to move beyond mere corporate support or one-off programs, striving instead for a structure where the university and businesses jointly identify local industrial needs and link them to education, research, and commercialization activities.

In particular, the university is contributing to corporate innovation and strengthening regional competitiveness by connecting its areas of strength—such as design, automotive and mobility, software, artificial intelligence (AI), content, and information security—with the corporate sector.

The “Creative Industry Talent Development” project aims to cultivate practical, interdisciplinary talent capable of responding to changes in the generative AI and content industries. True to its identity as a university with a balanced development of humanities, natural sciences, and arts and physical education, the university plans to cultivate talent focused on planning, production, and technical skills through interdisciplinary education in the fields of art, design, software, and media.

In particular, the program stands out by combining design sensibility, storytelling, software proficiency, and hands-on industry project experience, rather than leaning heavily toward either technical or production training.

Connections with the local community are managed through the “Local Issue Resolution” and “Seoul Lifelong Education Advancement” initiatives. The “Local Issue Resolution” initiative involves the university collaborating with the local community to identify and solve real-world problems. Currently, in partnership with neighboring areas such as Seongbuk-gu, the university is identifying various local issues related to urban life, daily living, welfare, the environment, and culture.

A key feature is that it does not approach local issues as mere volunteer work or one-off events, but rather links them to digital database (DB) development, education and research, student projects, and institutional collaboration.

The “Seoul Lifelong Education Advancement” project is an initiative to establish a university-based lifelong education model for adult learners and local citizens. Kookmin University, centered on the Institute for Future Talent Education, operates customized curricula tailored to educational needs at each stage of life and is also building an integrated online and offline lifelong learning system linked to the local community. This is also highly significant as a practice of socially responsible management that opens the university’s educational resources to citizens and supports retraining and new career opportunities.

△ The RISE Project Team at Kookmin University operates creative, interdisciplinary practical training and industry-academia collaboration programs by leveraging on- and off-campus innovation infrastructure and partnering with specialized institutions such as the Korea Testing Certification (KTC).

◇Expanding the Scope of Regional Innovation

In addition to the four projects initially selected, Kookmin University is further expanding the scope of its regional innovation efforts based on its research achievements and entrepreneurial capabilities. The “Seoul Campus Town” initiative is a project in which the university and the local community collaborate to foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Kookmin University is promoting various community-linked programs—such as identifying startup teams, mentoring, startup competitions, and support for business incubation—by organically connecting the campus with local spaces. Through this, the university plans to establish a foundation that allows current students and local young entrepreneurs to grow within the community.

The “Seoul-type BRIDGE” project is a technology commercialization initiative that links Kookmin University’s research achievements and technological assets to corporate growth and industrial innovation. Kookmin University is strengthening a virtuous cycle of technology commercialization that spans technology transfer, prototype development, demonstration, commercialization, and faculty-led startups. Furthermore, by expanding ties with Seoul’s core strategic industries—such as AI, bio/medical, fintech, robotics, and creative industries—the university is translating its development strategy into corporate innovation and contributions to the local economy.

President Jeong Seung Ryul stated, “We aim to realize the university’s vision and development strategy in the local community and industrial sectors, and to link this to the future industries of Seoul and the development of the local community.” He added, “The 80th anniversary of the university’s founding will not merely be a commemoration of the past; it will serve as a crucial turning point to establish a new innovation ecosystem that connects people, businesses, and the region through the RISE project, thereby defining the direction for the next 100 years.”