KAIST

KAIST is building the execution steps to realize its vision, "Fundamentals First, Innovation Forward." At a press briefing on August 24, President Choongsik Bae presented the key execution tasks that give shape to the five Beyond Series strategies he introduced at his inauguration. On August 25, KAIST announced that it is beginning full-scale innovation across the areas of education, research, entrepreneurship, administration, campus infrastructure, and internationalization.

At his August 10 inauguration ceremony, President Bae introduced five development strategies: Beyond AI, Beyond Laboratory, Beyond Barriers, Beyond Carbon, and Beyond KAIST. Together, they aim to extend AI as a common foundation across every discipline, connect laboratory achievements to industry and entrepreneurship, remove unnecessary internal barriers, turn the campus into a testbed for sustainable technology, and expand KAIST's reach to both local communities and the rest of the world.

At the briefing, President Bae said, "While my inaugural vision set KAIST's direction, it is now time to translate that vision into tangible changes for our community. KAIST will move beyond mere announcements and swiftly execute actionable tasks.”

Beyond AI, AI for Everyone: Redesigning the AI Curriculum for Every Course

The first major shift redefines education and research.

KAIST is expanding AI from a specialized discipline into a core competency for every student and researcher under the banner "AI for Everyone." To achieve this, KAIST will systematically restructure its curriculum based on proficiency levels and educational goals, offering a seamless pathway from the humanities, social sciences, arts, and basic sciences to foundational AI principles and applied AI-X fields.

Specifically, the curriculum will be structured into three levels based on the degree of AI integration. This framework bridges non-AI education focused on human critical thinking, AI-assisted learning, and advanced coursework where students design and lead AI technologies themselves.

On the research front, KAIST will advance core AI technologies alongside Sovereign AI and Physical AI, which powers smart manufacturing, autonomous driving, robotics, and digital twins. Simultaneously, the university will launch new convergent research areas, including AI-Energy, AI-Quantum, AI-Fusion, and AI-Bio.

"As AI advances, strong fundamentals and uniquely human critical thinking become even more critical," noted President Bae. He emphasized that by building AI capabilities on top of solid fundamentals, KAIST will empower students to lead AI applications in their respective fields while driving a comprehensive AI transformation across all research and education.

From the Laboratory to Industry: Freshman Entrepreneurship and Corporate AI Autonomous Labs

The second phase focuses on creating an ecosystem where research extends beyond the lab into industrial and societal innovation.

KAIST will bolster long-term basic research while expanding large-scale research programs as well as research in national strategic technologies and future science and technology. By focusing research strength on future strategic areas like quantum tech, climate, and energy, KAIST plans to expand corporate Satellite Labs and joint research centers.

In particular, KAIST will collaborate with industry partners to build AI Autonomous Labs. By applying AI to experiment design, execution, and data analysis, the university aims to accelerate R&D productivity and establish a new benchmark for industry-academia collaboration.

Entrepreneurship education will start on day one. Incoming freshmen will be exposed to KAIST’s research milestones, startup success stories, and network with founders, investors, and industry experts. By integrating field experience, business fundamentals, and market validation, KAIST will cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets from a student's very first semester and establish an Entrepreneurship Education Innovation Committee.

"Laboratories must not stop at generating knowledge; they must serve as launchpads for real-world innovation," said President Bae, adding that KAIST will build an integrated ecosystem connecting basic research, industry collaboration, and startups.

Institutional Innovation: Removing Internal Barriers to Focus on Core Research and Education

KAIST is also reforming administrative operations, so faculty and students can dedicate more time to education and research.

The university will implement a digital one-stop administrative system using AI tools to automate repetitive tasks and streamline complex procedures while continuously removing unnecessary regulations. Staff driving AI-based administrative innovation will receive incentives and specialized training.

Personnel procedures will be streamlined, and performance evaluations updated, to recognize diverse contributions. KAIST will also enhance onboarding support for new faculty members and actively remove institutional barriers between academic departments, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and joint advising.

"Administration exists not for management's sake, but to help students and faculty focus deeply on education and research," emphasized President Bae. He added that KAIST would actively identify and streamline regulations and procedures that take up members' valuable time.

Strengthening Climate and Energy Research for a Safe, Sustainable Campus

KAIST is leveraging its research capabilities in climate and energy to build a sustainable, safe, and efficient campus.

Using AI and energy management technologies, the university will systematically track and optimize campus energy consumption.

Additionally, KAIST will roll out phased spatial innovations, redesigning campus flow around pedestrians and optimizing research spaces while preserving green areas.

"We will apply KAIST's climate and energy research directly to our campus, boosting energy efficiency and safety, and maintaining an environment where our community can thrive," said President Bae.

Global Connect: Building the Future with the Global Community

KAIST’s internationalization strategy aims to transform the campus into a global hub where top talent and international research institutions convene.

The university will actively recruit global talent to significantly raise the proportion of international students. It also plans to expand global partnerships and link them to concrete education and research collaboration through dual-degree programs as well as student and researcher exchanges.

To foster sustained international collaboration, KAIST will invite distinguished global scholars to serve on dissertation committees and operate Global Advisory Boards (GAB) across departments. Incentives for international joint research will also be expanded.

Domestically, KAIST will link regional research hubs into strategic technology clusters to support balanced national development, while launching the "KAIST Connect Camp," which brings together students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and contributes to the revitalization of its alumni network. "Internationalization must evolve so global talent and partners create new value together with KAIST," stated President Bae, adding that he aims to build KAIST into a global innovation platform connecting talent and knowledge, and local communities and the world.

Execution Roadmap Toward KAIST’s 60th Anniversary in 2031

KAIST plans to connect these innovation initiatives not as standalone projects, but as part of a mid- to long-term development strategy leading up to its 60th anniversary in 2031. To this end, the university will flesh out its 100-year vision alongside its 2031 goals, while continuously reviewing and updating its long-term strategy.

"Our goal is not for KAIST to follow the world's top universities, but to set a new standard for what a university can be," said President Bae. He emphasized that KAIST would create pioneering models across education, research, technology entrepreneurship, university administration, sustainable campus operations, and global cooperation in the AI era, spreading them throughout Korea and the world.