Hanwha is partnering with three national universities in southeastern South Korea to build a talent pipeline in AI and aerospace, aligning education and research with the group’s 55 trillion won (about $38.8 billion) investment plan for the Yeongnam region announced last month by Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan. Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Engine signed the agreement with Gyeongsang National University, Pusan National University and Changwon National University on August 12 at Hanwha Aerospace Plant 3’s R&D Center in Changwon Special City, South Gyeongsang Province. The arrangement includes a Hanwha-backed contract department at Pusan National University, contract-enrollment master’s programs focused on AI at Gyeongsang National University and Changwon National University, and support for selected students through tuition, living stipends and internships. Graduates may join the three Hanwha companies through a separate selection process. Hanwha also plans to expand field-oriented education, special lectures, seminars, joint research and technology exchanges through its Hanwha Aerospace Hub, an industry-academia cooperation network it has been broadening since 2023. Local officials and company executives framed the agreement as the first concrete step in turning Hanwha’s broader southeastern investment vision into a regional high-tech industrial ecosystem built on talent development, stronger supplier capabilities and shared growth with startups.