Gyeongsangbuk-do, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education, and the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) signed a "Business Agreement for Cultivating STEM Talent in Gyeongsangbuk-do Leading the AI Era" at the provincial government complex on the 1st.

The agreement was made to jointly respond to the "2026 Science and Technology Institute-Affiliated Gifted School Designation and Conversion Open Competition" organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The three institutions will cooperate in supporting the conversion to a science and technology institute-affiliated gifted school, operating the Gyeongbuk-style Science-Focused High School capacity-building project, and jointly discovering science talent cultivation projects linked to regional industries.

This open competition targets high schools in seven municipal and provincial jurisdictions that currently lack a gifted school. Following evaluations by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Education, three high schools nationwide will be converted into gifted schools.

Gyeongsangbuk-do is pushing for the conversion of Gyeongsan Science High School in Gyeongsan-si as the target institution for the science and technology institute-affiliated gifted school.

If selected in the competition, Gyeongsan Science High School will receive up to 45 billion won in government subsidies from the state. By prioritizing the selection of students from the Gyeongbuk region for up to 50% of the freshman quota, the province can prevent the outflow of talented students in the region to the Seoul metropolitan area and expand opportunities for gifted education.

The three institutions will form a working-level consultative body to materialize the roles of each entity. They plan to proceed smoothly with subsequent procedures for the conversion, such as preparing school operation plans targeting a 2029 opening.

"This agreement is an important starting point for discovering and nurturing talent within the region to secure local sovereignty," said Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo. "We will closely cooperate with the Gyeongbuk Office of Education and DGIST to foster science and technology talent and build a foundation that can link this to Gyeongsanbuk-do's industrial growth."

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