Professor Chang D. Yoo’s research team at the School of Electrical Engineering, KAIST, has been selected for the AX Entrepreneurial Talent Development Center, a national AI and Digital Startup Talent Development Program supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP). In conjunction with the project, KAIST has officially launched the AX DeepTech Bridge Center, a new platform designed to accelerate AI-driven deep technology innovation and entrepreneurship. Led by KAIST in collaboration with POSTECH, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and Jeonbuk National University, the program will be conducted over a period of five and a half years, from July 2026 through December 2031.
As Artificial Intelligence expands beyond digital services into every sector of society, the era of AI Transformation (AX) demands a new generation of innovators who can combine frontier AI technologies with deep domain expertise to solve real-world challenges. While significant advances have been made in AI research, existing educational and innovation ecosystems often separate research, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship, limiting the creation of globally competitive DeepTech startups.
To address this challenge, the research team has established the AX DeepTech Bridge Center, built upon the KAIST AI Hub, to integrate cutting-edge AI algorithms, foundation models, and computing technologies with domain expertise spanning semiconductors, energy systems, healthcare, sensors, and other strategic industries. Rather than focusing solely on research excellence, the Center provides a comprehensive innovation pipeline that connects education, collaborative research, technology validation, intellectual property, technology transfer, startup incubation, and venture investment into a unified ecosystem.
The AX DeepTech Bridge Center is founded on the principle of “AI Hub × Domain Expertise × Entrepreneurship.” By bringing together world-class AI researchers and leading domain experts, the Center will cultivate entrepreneurial graduate students capable of translating scientific breakthroughs into globally competitive DeepTech ventures. Leveraging KAIST’s AI Hub, Software Education Center, Office of Technology Commercialization, and Hwasung Science Hub, the initiative establishes one of Korea’s first fully integrated ecosystems that supports the entire journey from advanced AI research to commercialization and startup creation.
Through the AX Entrepreneurial Talent Development Center and the launch of the AX DeepTech Bridge Center, KAIST aims not only to nurture the next generation of AI entrepreneurs but also to establish a new model for AI-driven innovation that bridges fundamental research, industrial transformation, and technology entrepreneurship. The initiative is expected to play a pivotal role in strengthening Korea’s global competitiveness in DeepTech innovation while accelerating AI transformation across strategic industries.
