Gwangju Metropolitan City to Lead 13.1 Billion Won Honam Region Regional Autonomous R&D Project

【Financial News Jeonnam-Gwangju = Hwang Tae-jong】 Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Metropolitan City) will lead the 13.1 billion won 'Honam region Regional Autonomous Research and Development (R&D) Project.'
 The 'Regional Autonomous R&D Project' shifts the research and development support system from one centered on the central government to a region-led model. Under the new system, regions directly plan and carry out the R&D projects they need based on their industrial conditions, scientific and technological capabilities, and companies' technology demands. The Honam region's priority areas are semiconductors, energy and mobility.
 Seo Hyeong-bin, director of the Strategic Industries Bureau of Gwangju Metropolitan City, emphasized at the event, "This project is meaningful because regions identify and plan the R&D projects they need themselves and link them to future industries."
 According to Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 17th, the Ministry of Science and ICT recently held the launch ceremony for the 'Four Poles, Three Special Regions Regional Autonomous R&D Project' at KAIST and began full-scale implementation. This year, a total of 78.9 billion won is expected to be invested across seven regions nationwide, including the Honam region. The four poles will each select three priority technology areas, while the three special regions will each select two, to pursue R&D tailored to the industrial and scientific capabilities of each region.
 In the Honam region, Gwangju Metropolitan City will set the project direction based on regional industrial policy and companies' technology demands. Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), which will operate the Honam region project unit, will connect universities, research institutes and companies to support R&D planning and implementation.
 The Honam region's priority areas are semiconductors, energy and mobility. In semiconductors, the project will develop advanced AI-based packaging and thermal-management technologies, as well as industry-specific, highly reliable AI, optical and power semiconductor technologies, and pursue their demonstration and commercialization.
 In energy, the project will secure next-generation clean-energy technologies linking Virtual Power Line (VPL), grid-forming energy storage systems (ESS) based on sodium-ion batteries, green hydrogen and laser fusion.
 In mobility, the project plans to develop AI autonomous manufacturing based on multi-type robots, nondestructive diagnosis and resource circulation for used batteries, and traffic safety and disaster-response technologies based on urban digital twins, followed by field demonstrations.
 Seo Hyeong-bin, director of the Strategic Industries Bureau, said, "We will connect Jeonnam-Gwangju's research and industrial foundations with the capabilities of regional universities, research institutes and companies, and support the results of R&D so that they lead to corporate growth and stronger industrial competitiveness."
 Meanwhile, the Honam region project unit held an information session on the 'Four Poles, Three Special Regions Regional Autonomous R&D Project' at GIST on the 4th. It briefed universities, research institutes and other regional innovation stakeholders on the project direction and plans to recruit research groups, and has been accepting applications from participating research groups since the 11th.

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