ERICA’s Cooperation with
LIG Nex1 to Lead the
High-tech K-Defense Industry

Nurturing new talent to advance K-defense

LIG Nex1 is a representative defense company that is gaining recognition for its cutting-edge technologies. LIG Nex1 and ERICA’s establishment of a contract-based department is an extension of the industry-university cooperation formed between the two parties over a long period of time.

“This year, we saw many major universities establishing contract departments at their graduate schools. Although most of them are focused on nurturing talent in the semiconductor sector, the advanced defense industry is an area that will be equally important in the future. The two sides decided to establish a contract-based department together based on the industry-university linkage built so far.”

According to Professor Jee-woong Choi of Marine Science and Convergence Engineering/Target Tracking at Hanyang University’s Intelligence and Information Convergence Engineering Department, it is extremely important in the long run to nurture talented individuals who will lead the K-defense industry considering the prolonged war waged against Ukraine by Russia, heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, and other external factors.

“It’s crucial that we view the defense industry from a mid to long term perspective. It is of great importance to develop proprietary technologies that help protect our country against all external situations and nurturing talented individuals lies at the heart of strengthening defense capabilities."

Attracting individuals talented in software skills is extremely important for defense companies as well. Those with skills in various high-tech areas are the driving force behind the defense industry’s future growth. Although it is difficult for companies to find experts with the core skills they want, it is also not easy to nurture talent through general courses at universities. According to Professor Choi, this is exactly why the establishment of the Department of Intelligence and Information Convergence Engineering was necessary.

“ERICA’s industry-university linkage with businesses focuses on technology exchanges and talent nurturing. While the two parties have joint projects and seminars aimed at promoting cooperation, universities have always been responsible for producing educated students. However, it is crucial to foster talented students that companies want in order to further strengthen and benefit from the industry-academia linkage.”

Seeking talented individuals who will make transformative changes in the future with LIG Nex1

CTO of LIG Nex1, Seung-yeong Lee

In my view, the defense industry is a smaller version of the world we’re living in. This means that individuals can seek growth based on a variety of experiences in the defense industry. LIG Nex1 provides individuals with a wide range of opportunities and experiences based on our vision for convergence with the high-tech field. Our company culture also focuses on promoting the growth of our employees. We also have various talent-nurturing programs to promote the development of the company by helping individuals progress. Moreover, LIG Nex1 will continue to make preparations for the future by providing training sessions for employees with ERICA and hosting boot camps for ERICA students to give them an advantage when applying for jobs at the company.

ERICA ready to greet new master students

A group of elite professors in the high-tech field in ERICA will be taking part in the initiative to help cultivate bright minds. Having young professors who are experts in their field and who perform active research helps significantly strengthen the competitiveness of the department. LIG Nex1 also expressed its gratitude to the professors who are participating in the initiative. Professor Sung-won Shin from the Department of Intelligence and Information Convergence Engineering (Department of Marine Science and Engineering) said, “Giving students a chance to take classes from professors from a wide variety of fields will help them find what they want to do. Finding an area that is interesting will be an opportunity for them to choose a career and pursue it.” Students being able to select their supervising professors according to their area of interest and participate in in-depth research are expected to greatly strengthen their expertise.

The Department of Intelligence and Information Convergence Engineering is expected to have bright prospects as it is closely related to the future of the country. Students themselves will see personal development and growth when they begin to fully understand the vision of the department, and immerse themselves in their studies. Students of the program may find the curriculum to be quite challenging as they will have to conduct long-term research based on the aforementioned vision. This is why the faculty members and LIG Nex1 have dedicated themselves to establishing an ideal environment in which students can be completely engrossed in their studies without other concerns until they finish their courses.

“LIG Nex1 will help to relieve the financial burden that students may have regarding tuition costs and other living expenses, which is perceived to be their biggest concern, by offering financial aid in the form of covering the tuition and admissions fees. The research fees paid to students who participate in each professor’s research project will also significantly help them financially.”

Professor Seung-hyun Seo of the Department of Intelligence and Information Convergence Engineering (Information Security) said she sees that students are far more interested in the defense industry compared with the previous year. The establishment of this new department will be a great opportunity for students interested in pursuing a career in this field.

Aim to attract creative individuals who can make value-based decisions

“Those who are able to select values over physical rewards are the ones who can engage in active research. I’m looking for students who want to make a difference in the world by doing something they thoroughly enjoy.”

Professor Shin said that students should think carefully about whether their own vision is in line with that of LIG Nex1 and how their research will contribute to achieve the department’s vision before they begin the application process. The focus of the graduate school program is not merely about helping students earn master’s degree, but also future careers. Professor Seo emphasized that attracting and nurturing future experts who can contribute to the future of their companies and the country is more important than just grades and academic achievements.

“Students who have shown great results and achievements in the laboratory so far are those with a positive mind-set, rather than those with excellent grades. These students overcame difficulties they faced when resolving tasks with a positive attitude and a strong sense of responsibility. I believe that although it may take them some time to adjust initially, they are the ones who show persistence and diligence that eventually lead them to growth and success.”

A sense of responsibility, consideration to others, and strong communication skills have a major influence on the efficiency of research activities. What is more important than anything else is for students to ask themselves how serious they are about pursuing a career in that particular field as they will be working for LIG Nex1 after graduation. Professor Wan-soo Kim, who will be teaching Robotics at the graduate school, emphasized the mindset that researchers should possess saying that they should be active and passionate about the research they are conducting. Professor Choi also said that he wants to students to be more active and creative. The ability to think flexibly and become talented professionals that the company seeks should serve as the foundation for all of the qualities that students should have.

“Simply put, we’re looking for students who know how to have fun. The creative and abundant experience they’ve gained so far makes them more broad-minded with the ability to use convergent thinking. Only those who have been deeply absorbed in something they are interested in are able to be that passionate and focused on their area of study.”

The defense industry has been responsible for the advancement and development of societies around the world in addition to strengthening a nation's military capabilities. Research on high-tech defense technologies to be conducted by the Department of Intelligence and Information Convergence Engineering is one with enough possibilities and potential ripple-effects to fundamentally change not only companies, but Korean society as well. Students of the department will be the experts of the field for generations to come.