Development of a Joint University Campus as a Key Element in the Regional Innovation System in Sejong Tech Valley, South Korea

Sejong City, which has been chosen as a new administrative capital of South Korea, has completed the first phase of its development plan with the construction of the facilities needed to accommodate central administrative organizations and the required accompanying population. Now, it is undergoing the second phase of development with a focus on strengthening the region's innovation capacity to catalyze endogenous development. The strategy for phase II is to establish a regional innovation system including building necessary infrastructure and attracting innovation agents such as universities, businesses, and research institutes. The first step for this is developing a research complex, tentatively named Tech Valley, that includes universities, research institutes, and businesses, and building infrastructure comprising a science complex, a knowledge industry center, and support facilities. Phase II of the city's development initiative includes the establishment of a joint university campus, which is to serve as a center to promote cooperation among industry actors, universities, and research institutes. The concept of a joint campus has been drawn from a need to enhance capacity for innovation and specialization in the region's industries and to maximize synergy among participating universities through the sharing of research equipment, facilities, and programs. The joint campus is expected to play a key role in creating an innovation system in the region by enhancing research capacity for strategic industries, cultivating highly skilled human resources, and leading industry-academia-research cooperation. In order to ensure the sustainable development of the new city, there is a growing need to have a main player in place that could lead the region's economic development. The joint campus will propel industrial specialization and serve as a catalyst to attract competent universities to the region. This paper will examine the concept, major functions, and the establishment and operation of the joint campus.