ERICA Selected Top University Contributing to Regional Development
via Creation of Robot City with Ansan City

Proving its Excellence in Asia

Hanyang University ERICA was selected as the top university in the category of “Outstanding Contribution to Regional Development” at the THE Asia Awards 2025 hosted by the world-renowned university evaluation agency, Times Higher Education (THE) of the United Kingdom. The award is especially meaningful as ERICA was selected from among 80 universities across 16 countries in Asia. The awards ceremony for the THE Asia Awards 2025 is one of the most prestigious in the field of higher education in Asia and was held as an official event during the THE Asia Summit 2025, which took place from April 22 to 24 at Macau University of Science and Technology in Taipa, Macau, China. The prestige of the award was further heightened by the presence of the finalists who were from leading institutions such as the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, National Taiwan University, and Hiroshima University.

THE Asia Awards selects recipient universities through a comprehensive evaluation of key areas such as leadership and strategy, industry-academia partnerships, educational innovation, internationalization, and community engagement. Hanyang University was selected as the top university by being recognized for its tangible results in industrial transformation linked with the local community, and for nurturing of high-tech talent through the Robot City Ansan Project.

Building a Robot Industry Ecosystem via Cooperation with Local Governments and Industries

In December 2022, ERICA established the Ansan Innovation Center for AI and Robotics on the first floor of the RIT Center in Gyeonggi Technopark on campus. The Center, led by ERICA Shared-AI-Robotics Education and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology , includes a manufacturing robotics testbed, an AI robotics living lab, and an interactive experience zone. Additionally, the Korea Testing Laboratory gathered robot-related certification and performance evaluation equipment to form a robot-testing and certification testbed. From the creation of the Center, ERICA also signed an agreement to create Robot City Ansan. Other participants in the agreement include the city of Ansan, Ansan City Council, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Korea Testing Laboratory, and Gyeonggi Technopark.

Robot City Ansan is a project to transform the Banwol-Sihwa National Industrial Complex, the largest national industrial complex in Korea, from traditional manufacturing to a high-tech cluster focusing on AI and robotics. Specifically, the goal is to turn the area into a hub for future global cutting-edge technology where cities and industrial complexes, humans and robots, interact and coexist. The plan is also to attract about 100 related companies to Ansan City, thereby creating 10,000 new jobs and establishing it as a hub for the robotics industry.

To this end, in May 2023, the Local Government-University-Robot Institution Council was launched to realize Robot City Ansan. ERICA also signed a strategic partnership with Siemens Digital Industries Software to promote talent development and technology innovation, beginning full-scale efforts to nurture talent in the advanced robotics industry. A notable aspect of this partnership is the development and operation of a modular interdisciplinary convergence curriculum through collaboration among various academic disciplines. Furthermore, in February 2024, a council was formed with Ansan City and related institutions of Ansan Science Valley to build Robot City Ansan, promote AI and the robotics industry, and produce achievements in local government-industry-academia-research cooperation. Through the council, participants shared and discussed cooperative projects between the city and institutions, including: development and demonstration projects of advanced robotic processes; cooperation on the Ansan Science Valley science festival titled 88 Robot Week; key initiatives in the advanced intelligent robotics field for 2024; regulatory improvement in the robotics industry; localization of robot precision control, drive components, and software; and the completion of agricultural robots for smart farming in future agriculture.

Meanwhile, in September 2024, ERICA was officially selected by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to lead the Center for AI Robotics Education (CARE) Project. This initiative aims to nurture customized practical talent who can be immediately deployed at industrial sites. A total of KRW 25.9 billion will be invested from 2024 to 2028 to establish a state-of-the-art robotics training center in the Ansan area. CARE, with a total floor area of 5,439㎡, will cultivate a skilled workforce through field project-based education that reflects industrial demand. The curriculum is divided into manufacturing robot SI (System Integration), service robot SI, autonomous driving robots, and robot software and artificial intelligence (AI).

Gyeonggi Province and Ansan City designated ERICA as the leading institution, granting full authority over project management, curriculum development. and operations. In addition, a consortium was formed with Gyeonggi Technopark, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Tech University of Korea, and Korea Association of Robot Industry. These institutions are responsible for curriculum demand surveys, promotion for trainee recruitment, practical field training, and job placement for graduates.

A Region-Based Global Innovation Model

Through close collaboration with local businesses, research institutes, and local governments, ERICA has already trained 4,772 participants in advanced robotics through its Shared AI-Robotics Education program. In the future, through the CARE Project, ERICA plans to build the highest level of practical robot education infrastructure in the Ansan region and nurture a total of 5,720 professionals. In doing so, the automation of the largest industrial complex in the Seoul metropolitan area will be accelerated and play a key role in helping Ansan City grow into the “representative robot city of the Republic of Korea.” Hanyang University President Ki-jeong Lee remarked, “At ERICA, we’ve worked to connect our strengths in education and research with the practical needs of the region, under our mission,” The Best for a Better World.” The acknowledgement we have received reflects global recognition of a collaborative innovation model built together by local governments, industry, and academia. We will continue to fulfill our role as a responsible higher education institution that contributes to solving not only regional, but also national and global challenges.”