Sogang University (President Sim Jong-hyeok) announced that its RISE Project Team (Director Jeon Seong-ryul) successfully held the Year 1 Performance-Sharing Conference for the Seoul RISE initiative “1-2. Attracting Foreign Talent for Advanced and Future Industries” on February 10 at Josun Palace Seoul Gangnam.
The event brought together six university project teams selected for Seoul RISE 2025 Unit Task 1-2: Korea University, Sogang University, Seoul National University, Yonsei University–Seoul National University of Science and Technology (consortium), Hanyang University, and another participating university group under the same unit task. Hosted by Sogang University as the lead institution, the conference is expected to become an annual, regular event moving forward.
The five-hour program ran from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and consisted of an opening session and congratulatory remarks, a special lecture introducing programs of the Seoul Global Center, presentations on outstanding Year 1 achievements from five universities, and a networking dinner.
The conference opened with remarks from Lee Gyu-tae, Vice Director of Sogang University’s RISE Project Team and Dean of the Office of Research. This was followed by a keynote session in which Kwon Bo-geun, Director of the Seoul Global Center, delivered congratulatory remarks and introduced the Center’s programs for 2026.
During the university presentations, each institution shared key outcomes and progress in building the foundational infrastructure for the first year of the project. Korea University presented its achievements in establishing a strategic foundation to attract international talent. Sogang University highlighted best practices in global collaboration, including graduate admissions interview initiatives pursued through faculty visits to overseas universities. Seoul National University reported on efforts to build a dissemination and expansion base for sub-task implementation. The Yonsei University–SeoulTech consortium shared strategies for attracting foreign talent in advanced and future-industry fields. Hanyang University presented practical results, including notable cases of student recruitment and settlement support.
A key focus of the conference was strengthening collaboration with the Seoul Global Center, the City of Seoul’s flagship institution supporting foreigners’ adaptation and settlement in the capital. The Center plans to work with the RISE project teams to further reinforce settlement-support systems for international students and global talent. The event was also attended by working-level officials, including Lee Yong-beom, Team Leader of the Specialized Project Team under the Immigration and Foreign Residents Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Global City Policy Office, who expressed their commitment to close cooperation to help outstanding global talent settle successfully in Seoul.
“This conference was more than a simple performance report,” said Lee Gyu-tae. “It served as a platform for the six universities to share strengths and know-how while jointly building an ecosystem for attracting global talent to Seoul. Building on the solid foundation laid in the first year, we will deliver more practical and visible outcomes in the second year to help make Seoul a city of choice for global talent.”
Seoul RISE is a regional innovation-focused university support system (RISE: Regional Innovation System & Education) jointly promoted by the Ministry of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It aims to strengthen universities’ innovation capacity and drive regional development through collaboration with local communities. Under this initiative, Unit Task 1-2 focuses on attracting foreign talent for advanced and future industries and on building an ecosystem that connects global talent with Seoul’s regional industries.
