Regulations that have constrained educational and research innovation at universities are set to be significantly relaxed. Notably, exceptional talents who have made outstanding achievements in advanced fields such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) will have the opportunity to continue mentoring students at national and public universities beyond the retirement age.
On July 15, the Ministry of Education held the 26th University Regulation Rationalization Committee meeting in a conference room near Seoul Station, where they discussed three key regulatory improvements aimed at enhancing university autonomy and competitiveness.
The main proposals presented at the committee included: 1) appointing non-tenured faculty at national and public universities for outstanding talents in advanced fields beyond retirement age, 2) expanding the scope of land and building leasing, and 3) exempting national university industry-academia cooperation foundations from bid deposits.
The most notable aspect is the plan to relax the retirement age limit for non-tenured faculty at national and public universities, which is currently set at 65, specifically for exceptional talents in advanced fields and those who meet the academic achievement criteria established by university regulations. There has been a consistent call from the field for securing world-class faculty and researchers to strengthen the domestic education and research ecosystem, particularly for advanced technology research and future talent development.
In response, the Ministry of Education plans to actively pursue amendments to the Higher Education Act, allowing national and public universities to appoint outstanding talents who meet the academic achievement criteria set by university regulations as non-tenured faculty for up to five years after retirement, with the consent of the university personnel committee.
If this measure is implemented, it is expected that the expertise of scholars in advanced fields will be directly integrated into university research environments.
Additionally, outdated regulations that limited universities' physical educational space will be lifted. Under the current University Establishment and Operation Regulations, universities can only lease land or buildings within 20 kilometers of their campus boundary and within the same basic local government (city, county, or district).
However, this regulation has faced criticism for being overly rigid, considering actual traffic conditions and students' living areas. Therefore, the Ministry of Education plans to expand the leasing range to within 20 kilometers of the campus boundary but within the broader metropolitan area (city or province) to enhance the operational efficiency of university facilities.
Furthermore, the contracting process for national university industry-academia cooperation foundations will also be simplified. Currently, under the National Contract Act, corporations that receive more than 50% of their funding from the state are exempt from bid deposits, but national university industry-academia cooperation foundations have been excluded from this exemption, facing burdensome deposit requirements and repetitive administrative tasks.
The Ministry of Education plans to improve this situation by preparing measures to exempt industry-academia cooperation foundations from bid deposits and streamline the contracting process.
Minister of Education Kim Kyo-jin stated, "The matters discussed today will be gradually improved through consultations with relevant ministries and legislative amendments. We will continue to actively reflect the voices from the university field to improve unreasonable regulations and support university autonomy and innovation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.