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Busan Metropolitan City and Pukyong National University Selected for “Marine and Fisheries Convergence Talent Development Project”

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Park Heong-joon, announced that Pukyong National University has been finally selected as the implementing institution for the Yeongnam and Jeju region in the public competition for the “2026 Marine and Fisheries Convergence Talent Development Project (Korean-style Sea Grant),” and that the project will be launched in earnest starting in April.

This project is a national public competition initiative designed to address regional marine and fisheries issues based on university research capabilities and to cultivate professionals aligned with field demands.

The project is organized by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and managed by the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST).

Pukyong National University will serve as the lead institution, with Jeju National University and the Marine Eco-Technology Institute Co., Ltd. participating as joint research institutions, while Busan Metropolitan City will provide financial support.

Busan Metropolitan City will invest a total of KRW 4.984 billion over five years from April 2026 to December 2030, including KRW 3.72 billion in national funding and KRW 483 million in municipal funding.

Through this initiative, the city plans to scientifically address marine and fisheries challenges faced by the Yeongnam and Jeju region—such as climate change and the decline of fishing communities—while strengthening the competitiveness of the regional marine and fisheries industry and establishing a foundation for new growth.

The project will focus on four key research areas under the goal of enhancing the competitiveness of the marine and fisheries industry in the Yeongnam and Jeju region.

Key initiatives include: marine bio-healthcare research utilizing functional extracts derived from seaweed under the fisheries community welfare sector; development of technologies for renewable energy production and enhancement of primary productivity based on coastal contaminated sediments under coastal conservation and development; development of hybrid technologies for increasing coastal blue carbon and grand design of coastal landscapes under marine cultural tourism; and development of wave prediction technologies to reduce coastal disasters in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region, along with analysis of fisheries resources and diseases in response to climate change under marine and fisheries safety.

In addition, the project aims to cultivate 37 master’s and doctoral-level professionals, with more than 70 percent (26 individuals) expected to be employed in the marine and fisheries sector, thereby contributing to the development of regionally tailored talent.

If the major research outcomes are applied in the field, the project is expected to generate industrial ripple effects of approximately KRW 830 million through the commercialization of marine bio-healthcare products, reduce annual costs by approximately KRW 200 million by partially replacing dredged soil treatment with renewable energy technologies, and prevent economic damages on the scale of KRW 70 trillion through the use of marine disaster prediction technologies to mitigate coastal flooding.

Cho Young-tae, Director General of the Marine and Fisheries Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “This selection is the result of the combination of Busan’s abundant marine infrastructure and the outstanding research capabilities of Pukyong National University. Over the next five years, we will fully support the cultivation of key talent who will lead digital transformation and innovative growth in the marine and fisheries sector, thereby strengthening Busan’s position as a global maritime capital.”