Yonsei Univ. Wins `MIT Media Lab` Project

Yonsei University is the winning bidder for a state-funded project to cultivate top-notch IT talent comparable to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.

The Knowledge and Economy Ministry said Wednesday that Yonsei will select 20 students a year for the program with the full support of the government and private businesses.

The university will spend 100 million won (83,822 U.S. dollars) per student per year, including full scholarships and living expenses, in addition to providing one-on-one education and overseas training.

The ministry said Yonsei`s Future Convergence Technology Research Center beat out four other bidders, including those from Seoul National University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Yonsei received high marks by appointing former Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Ki-tae as the project manager and guaranteeing the research center`s autonomy.

The project is modeled after the MIT Media Lab, a world-class media convergence technology research center. The lab conducts hybrid research between basic sciences such as humanities and arts and technology for digital and software.