Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province are building a cross-regional industry-academia-government cooperation system that binds together universities, companies and local governments, creating a southern innovation ecosystem to counter the greater Seoul area. In line with the government's "5 Poles, 3 Special Zones" strategy for balanced national development, the plan aims to create a virtuous cycle of nurturing talent and fostering industry within the region.
According to the Busan Metropolitan Government on the 27th, a launch ceremony for the "Southeastern Region Growth Engine-Linked Industry-University Alliance" was held that day at the Pusan National University administration building. The alliance involves 28 institutions and companies, including the three cities and provinces of Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, along with Pusan National University, HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Renault Korea, SNT Motiv, Korean Register, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction and Panstar. The core aim is to connect universities' education and research capabilities with companies' technology needs at the cross-regional level, building a cooperation system that extends from talent development to joint research, technology commercialization, employment and regional settlement.
The launch carries significant meaning as a wide-area cooperation model in which local governments directly participate, going beyond simple industry-academia cooperation. The Busan Metropolitan Government, Ulsan Metropolitan Government, South Gyeongsang Provincial Government and Pusan National University signed a business agreement to jointly nurture core talent needed by industrial sites by linking regional strategic industries with university education and research. The goal is to establish a foundation that allows young people to find employment and settle in the region rather than leaving for the greater Seoul area.
The Busan Metropolitan Government views this alliance as an opportunity to extend the scope of the "Busan-style ANCHOR policy," a core strategy of the ninth popularly elected administration, to the southeastern region. The strategy is to expand the policy—which has developed regional universities as hubs for industrial innovation, technology commercialization and startups—across all of Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang to build a cross-regional innovation ecosystem.
In particular, the Busan Metropolitan Government expects synergy by linking the alliance with its maritime capital strategy aimed at the era of the Arctic shipping route. The vision is to complete the southern growth axis by establishing a university-company cooperation system alongside the expansion of the maritime industry base, including the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the relocation of HMM's headquarters, the attraction of a maritime court and the establishment of the Southeastern Region Investment Corporation.
The southeastern region is the nation's largest industrial zone, concentrating manufacturing such as shipbuilding and automobiles, shipping and port logistics, and next-generation energy industries, while also being an area where numerous universities are clustered. The Busan Metropolitan Government forecast that organically connecting this industrial base with universities' research capabilities could secure innovation competitiveness rivaling that of the greater Seoul area.
"The Southeastern Region Industry-University Alliance will create synergy with the Busan-style ANCHOR policy and grow into an innovation platform representing Korea's southern region," Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "We will actively support industry-academia-government cooperation so that young people can settle in the region and companies can secure competitiveness in the global market."
