Samsung SDI has established a ‘Battery Engineering Department’ in collaboration with Sungkyunkwan University to train specialized personnel in battery technology.
On the 11th, Samsung SDI and Sungkyunkwan University held a ‘Ceremony for the Establishment of the Battery Engineering Department’ at the Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.
The ceremony was attended by key figures including Sungkyunkwan University President Yoo Ji-beom, Professor Yoon Won-seob, head of the Battery Engineering Department, Dean Kim Ji-man, as well as Samsung SDI CEO Choi Yoon-ho, Vice President and Head of the SDI Research Institute Kim Yoon-chang, and Vice President An Jae-woo.
The Battery Engineering Department will operate as a contract major linked to employment within a four-year undergraduate engineering program. Starting from 2026, Sungkyunkwan University plans to select 30 new students annually for ten years. Students will receive customized education from battery materials to cells, modules, and packs. Graduates from this program will have the opportunity to join Samsung SDI.
The establishment of this program aims to foster specialized talent that can lead the rapidly growing battery sector centered around the global electric vehicle market and to contribute to nurturing talents for the nation’s core strategic industries.
Choi Yoon-ho, CEO of Samsung SDI, stated, “Securing and nurturing skilled talent is the future competitiveness of Samsung SDI,” and emphasized, “Through this agreement with Sungkyunkwan University, we will secure core talents that can lead the battery market and further solidify our technological competitiveness as a global top-tier company.”
President Yoo Ji-beom of Sungkyunkwan University remarked, “Today’s agreement marks a new starting point for playing a leading role in the battery engineering field,” and added, “In the context of the increasing importance of battery technology, Sungkyunkwan University and Samsung SDI will strive for continuous development based on mutual trust and cooperation.”
Additionally, since 2021, Samsung SDI has been operating a program for training outstanding battery talent in collaboration with POSTECH, Seoul National University, KAIST, Hanyang University, Sungkyunkwan University, and UNIST, and plans to expand the battery contract major in the future.
Furthermore, starting in 2022, Samsung SDI has been conducting the ‘Tech & Career Forum (T&C Forum)’ to recruit doctoral-level talents, aiming to discover outstanding individuals. Launched for the first time in Korea, the T&C Forum has expanded to the US cities of New York and Silicon Valley, as well as Munich, Germany, to secure overseas talents, and it is scheduled to take place this year not only domestically but also in major countries in the US and Europe.
Jin Sang-hee daedusj@autodiary.kr