Selected for Brain Pool+ Recruitment Program

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) has been selected for the 2026 Brain Pool+ Institutional Recruitment Program, funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and administered by the National Research Foundation of Korea. Through this initiative, SKKU will receive a total of KRW 13.5 billion in government funding over the next five years.

The Brain Pool+ Institutional Recruitment Program enables universities to identify and recruit outstanding international scientists aligned with their long-term research strategies while providing comprehensive support for their successful settlement and research activities in Korea. The funding can be used flexibly to cover researchers’ salaries and living expenses, as well as to establish advanced research equipment and infrastructure.

Notably, the project will be led directly by President Yoo Ji-Beom, reflecting a university-wide strategic commitment to strengthening global research competitiveness. Through this initiative, SKKU aims to build a sustainable platform for attracting world-renowned scholars in Korea’s key strategic technology areas, including next-generation energy, biomedicine, nanoscience, and quantum materials.

To maximize the impact of the program, five major institutes will collaborate under a unified framework: three leading research institutes—Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU (BICS), Sungkyun Advanced Institute of Nano Technology (SAINT), and the Institute for Next Generation Energy Materials (NEM)—along with two global collaboration hubs, the Sungkyun Global Research Center (SGRC) and the Precision Biology Research Center (PBRC).

The program will operate under a presidential leadership structure. President Yoo will serve as Principal Investigator, while Professor Jeon Il (Vice Dean of International Affairs, Director of SGRC, and faculty member of SAINT) will oversee planning and operations. The leadership team also includes Vice President for Planning and Coordination Piljin Yoo, Director of Industry–Academic Cooperation Jachoon Koo, Vice Director of Industry–Academic Cooperation In Su Kim, BICS Director Kyung Kyu Kim, NEM Director Hoseok Park, PBRC Director Donghwan Kim, Professors Jae Cheol Lee and Jung Kyu Kim, as well as the Office of Research Planning Team of the Research & Business Foundation.

Through this initiative, SKKU plans to recruit not only globally recognized scholars but also outstanding mid-career researchers and promising early-career scientists. Moving beyond conventional short-term collaborations, the university aims to create an environment where international researchers can conduct long-term, stable research in Korea. By doing so, SKKU expects to enhance its global research competitiveness and contribute to a virtuous cycle in which top international talent is increasingly drawn to Korea.

“This selection for the Brain Pool+ Institutional Recruitment Program will serve as a critical foundation for SKKU’s advancement as a world-class research university,” said President Yoo Ji-Beom. “Together with leading scholars from around the world, we will pursue groundbreaking research that helps shape the future of humanity.”