Chungnam and Hanbat team up for $75M Glocal University 30 bid, again

The two universities, located in Yuseong District, Daejeon, applied as a coalition for last year's Glocal University 30 project but failed to pass the first round of the selection process.

Chungnam National University's campus in Yuseong District, Daejeon. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Chungnam National University announced Friday it will apply for the government's multibillion-won Glocal University 30 project with Hanbat National University, again.

The two universities, located in Yuseong District, Daejeon, applied as a coalition for last year's Glocal University 30 project but failed to pass the first round of the selection process.

The government-funded Glocal University 30 project awards grants worth 100 billion won ($74.7 million) to selected universities or coalitions outside of the greater Seoul region, to be used over five years.

It's an initiative aimed at helping schools gain a competitive edge as many students prefer to enroll in universities in the greater Seoul region.

"Based on results of the project last year, we can see that the government wants national universities to innovate by merging with each other and having only one major national university representing each region," Lee Jin-sook, president of Chungnam National University, said in a statement.

"To get selected for this year's Glocal University 30 project, we will thoroughly prepare plans to innovate, based on a merger [with Hanbak National University]."

In last year's project that selected 10 fund winners, four were coalitions that were selected on condition that they merge.

The Chungnam and Hanbat coalition says the schools will submit plans to innovate their curricula by admitting more undecided major students with the funding.

It will also work with research institutes in Daedeok Innopolis, a technology cluster near the two universities in Daejeon's Yuseong District, to innovate and offer more opportunities to students.

The coalition also said it intends to partner with universities abroad to create a so-called global open campus, which allows students to obtain dual degrees by studying abroad.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]