A new government program will be launched to train science and engineering undergraduates as engineers with both major-specific knowledge and practical capabilities.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity said on April 28 they will newly 추진 the "Next-Generation Engineer Training Program" this year.

The ministry supported more than 3,200 teams of science and engineering undergraduate researchers from 2017 through last year so they could carry out demand-driven research projects with industry mentors. It has continued to invest in developing talent that meets needs at industrial sites, including by holding research achievement competitions.

Building on those results, the program will support industry-university joint research experience at the undergraduate level, industry mentoring and other efforts so science and engineering undergraduates can build the academic and research capabilities needed in the field and then enter advanced-industry companies. This year it will newly select 2 project groups made up of multiple universities and 1 support group to back 400 students.

The project groups will identify research tasks that undergraduates can take on from among technical problems and pending issues faced by companies in national strategic technology fields. The program will support undergraduate research teams so they can conduct research jointly with industry experts, with guidance and advice from their supervising professors and graduate students. It will also run a nationwide "Next-Generation Engineer Network" to support lectures by major science and engineering companies, internships, and links to employment, start-ups and job creation.

The ministry will announce the program on April 29 and accept applications for project groups and the support group. Total funding this year will be 2 billion won. It plans to expand support based on program results.

Lee Jun-bae (이준배), director general for future talent policy at the ministry, said, "We will support science and engineering undergraduates so they can grow into next-generation engineers with creativity and problem-solving skills by researching problems on the ground in industries in national strategic technology fields," and asked for active participation by leading universities.