Korea has launched its first large-scale initiative to attract outstanding global researchers in science and technology through InnoCORE, a new fellowship program aimed at recruiting international talent in Artificial Intelligence and Science & Technology (AI+S&T).
The Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea, in collaboration with the country’s four Institutes of Science and Technology (KAIST, GIST, DGIST, and UNIST), will invest KRW 300 billion (approximately USD 225 million) over the next five years to recruit and support 400 postdoctoral researchers in the interdisciplinary field of AI+S&T.
As part of its global outreach efforts, InnoCORE hosted in-person job fairs in Boston (June 18, Northeastern University), New York (June 20, NYU-KAIST Global Campus), and Silicon Valley (June 23, KIC Silicon Valley). More than 100 postdoctoral researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with Korean research group leaders at these job fairs.
The job fair not only attracted participants from local institutions—such as Harvard, MIT, NYU, Columbia, UC Berkeley, and Stanford—but also from other premier universities across the United States, including Cornell University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Florida. The strong turnout of students reflects a growing interest in Korea’s evolving role as a global research hub.
Professor Hee-Seung Lee, Research Group leader of the AI Co-Research & Education for Innovative Drug Institute at KAIST, noted:
“We had the chance to meet highly capable and motivated researchers with a strong potential to lead groundbreaking work in AI+S&T and was able to hear firsthand their enthusiasm for such a unique opportunity. Korea’s strategic efforts through InnoCORE are resonating internationally. If these talented researchers enter our network, it will not only elevate Korea’s global scientific standing but also strengthen our global talent pipeline in the future.”
Dr. Hyojun Lim, a postdoctoral fellow at MIT who participated in the job fair, commented:
“For U.S.-based researchers seeking career opportunities in Korea, InnoCORE provided a truly practical and insightful platform. Direct discussions with the lead professors of the research projects gave me a clear sense of each research group’s mission and future direction—far beyond what a website or brochure can convey.”
Building on the success of these events, the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea will officially commence the selection and onboarding of fellows in July.
Each selected postdoctoral researcher will be offered a competitive base annual salary of KRW 90 million (~USD 66,000), with opportunities for additional research funding and compensation available through partnerships with industry and academic institutions.
Fellows will also have access to advanced research infrastructure, including supercomputers, semiconductor cleanrooms, and cutting-edge biomedical facilities.
The program will also implement a multi-layered mentoring system involving academic advisors, industry experts, and international researchers—designed to strengthen both independent research and multinational cooperation capabilities.
InnoCORE currently operates through eight interdisciplinary research clusters. The projects are run in collaboration with Korea’s top, major industry leaders (Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Naver), and global research giants such as MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Oxford, Meta, Google, and IBM Research.
Research areas include large language models (LLMs), generative AI, AI-based drug discovery, advanced manufacturing, aerospace AI, clean energy, and nanotechnology for brain disease diagnostics.
Mr. Chang-yoon Lee, first vice minister of Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea stated:
“The InnoCORE Global Postdoctoral Job Fair showed that Korea is emerging as an attractive destination for the world’s top scientific talent. We will continue to invest in building an open, globally connected research ecosystem—one where talent from around the world can grow, collaborate, and lead globally impactful science from Korea.”
