Among the leading young universities (aged 50 years or younger) in the Nature Index, these four institutions stand out. From subject specialists to technology hubs and regional training grounds, they are charting their own course to success.
Pohang University of Science and Technology
POSTECH students use an advanced imaging technique called tip-enhanced nano spectroscopy to study materials at the nanoscale.Credit: POSTECH
At less than 40 years old, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) is already looking for ways to reinvent itself. In 2024, it launched its POSTECH 2.0 strategy — a ten-year plan to elevate its global status, supported by 1.2 trillion South Korean won (US$888.9 billion) in funding, half of which comes from the university itself, and the other half from local and federal governments, corporate backing and donations.
Part of this initiative is to become South Korea’s first ‘AI-native’ university. The plan, announced in July, is to integrate artificial intelligence into all aspects of its system, from research to education. This includes deploying personalized ‘AI tutors’ to assess learning patterns in real time to help students study more efficiently, and equipping teaching staff with AI tools to monitor students’ progress. The initiative will help to prepare POSTECH for “a new leap forward” to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world, says Sung-Min Park, a biomedical engineer at POSTECH.
Nature Index 2025 Young universities
Building a future-oriented campus will require close collaboration with industry —something that POSTECH has been set up to do since its inception. Based in Pohang, an industrial hub on South Korea’s east coast, POSTECH was established as a research-oriented university in 1986 by POSCO, one of the world’s largest steel manufacturers.
Although POSTECH and POSCO operate as separate entities, they remain deeply connected through training and research programmes. In 2022, for example, POSTECH launched a postgraduate course in battery-materials research in collaboration with POSCO Future M, a subsidiary of POSCO. The master’s and doctoral programmes allow students to conduct field research and participate in projects at the company, and guarantee them a job there after graduating.
“Industry collaboration is not just an activity, but part of POSTECH’s DNA,” says Park. Before joining POSTECH, Park spent more than a decade developing health-care technologies in the United States and South Korea. He now aims to merge that industry experience with POSTECH’s research strengths to develop new medical technologies.
In the Nature Index 2025 Young Universities rankings, POSTECH placed 15th overall and 8th in physical sciences. It’s also within the top 10 fastest-rising young universities in the biological and health sciences for the period 2023 to 2024.
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