POSTECH has been strengthening its competitiveness in research since it was founded as a research university in 1986.
The total number of papers published by a total of 209 full-time professors in various academic journals both home and abroad and presented at conferences in 1998 numbered 1,145. This equals an average 6.0 papers per professor, achieving an international standard as well as reaching the top class of productive research in the nation, particularly in comparison with other general universities having a large number of graduate students. Also, the number of papers cited in the SCI of the USA in 1998 reached 566, equal to 2.9 per professor.
POSTECH is conducting various researches, commissioned by government agencies or industries, ranging from work in the basic sciences to the applied sciences. Particularly, seven proposals of POSTECH professors were selected at the "Creative Research Project" and four such professors were chosen at the "National Research Laboratory Project", which are fully funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology on technologies essential for strategic purposes. Moreover,active research is underway in the six areas selected as Specialization or Excellent Research Centers - Advanced Dynamic Fluid Engineering, Catalyst Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Biomolecular Science, Aerospace Materials, and Computational Mathematics.
| It is not expected that a university achieves world class research excellence in every field, considering the constraints of time and money. Therefore, universities must strategically select a few core research areas in order to foster them and achieve excellence.
Based on objective evaluation standards as well as periodic performance evaluations in each research area, approximately ten research areas are selected in consideration of the growth potential and prospective effect of each. For three to five years, they operate in tight competition, after which two to three core research areas are chosen for intensive support. |
| In light of recent trends, the need for interdisciplinary research cooperation is expected to increase. It is thus necessary to tear down the artificial walls between disciplines and to promote interdisciplinary research cooperation by organizing research groups centered on interdisciplinary research subjects. POSTECH is positively searching for ways to operate the selection and allocation of graduate students and restructuring of curriculum into interdisciplinary research groups. |
To better cope with the radically changing economic environment, strengthening the competitiveness of the nation through internalization of R&D activities is crucially needed. Although POSTECH is already well-equipped with the needed faculty and state-of-the-art research facilities, more active promotion for international research collaboration will be pursued with positive organizational restructuring to accommodate the increasing need for globalization.
First of all, taking advantage of the international class Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, POSTECH aims to be the world's best in accelerator applications by developing various research programs for foreign scientists. For ready access to updated information and to promote international research collaborations, more overseas research branches will be established at research institutes with international reputations abroad, in addition to the two branches opened at the Process System Engineering Research Centers at MIT and in France. |
| Support for venture businesses, by professors, researchers, and students of POSTECH will be intensified to promote the commercialization of their research outcomes. The POSTECH Venture Business Co., Ltd. and the Business Incubation Center are currently encouraging the commercialization of technologies, and the Cyber Technomart, a technology transfer center, is under operation on the internet to help interested parties with economically feasible and innovative research results transfer their work into the realm of venture businesses. |
Having proper reward systems based on justifiable evaluation mechanisms which are well accepted by all participants is very essential to the future of any organization. POSTECH is applying a variety of evaluation techniques, suitable to the university, to individuals and research groups. Through such fair competition, an MBO system is being established so that every participant can make due contributions to the development of POSTECH.
The current evaluation system of each individual professor includes classroom evaluations to improve the quality of lectures, and evaluations of research, education, and social services. The evaluation results are to be reflected in the decisions made about tenure and annual compensation, as well as promotion, employment renewal, and reward.
Research groups are presently evaluated according to the "Evaluation Guideline for Auxiliary Research Labs." Depending on the evaluation results, differential treatment is given in terms of operational, facility, and administrative support. That is, those groups with excellent records are developed into independent subsidiaries, whereas those with poor records are merged into others or closed. |
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