KAIST

KAIST announced on February 26th that it has received 5.06 billion KRW in development funds, embodying the noble spirit of sharing from a single family. This donation is particularly meaningful as it was completed across three generations: rooted in a grandmother’s legacy, the father decided on the donation, and the daughter put that intention into action.

The donor stated, “I hope the research achievements of KAIST’s young scientists shine brighter than the donor’s name,” and declined all appointment ceremonies or honorary events where their name would be revealed. In accordance with the donor’s wishes, all procedures were conducted simply, and their identity will remain private.

The donor, a Seoul resident in their 70s, achieved success by building a business based on the legacy of their mother, who practiced sharing throughout her life. Recently, they decided to return a portion of their mother’s legacy to society. Having grown up watching their mother practice benevolence, donating was a natural choice. This decision was finalized through the daughter’s concrete execution. The donor’s daughter played a leading role in the entire donation process, serving as a bridge to pass the family’s spirit of sharing down to the next generation.

The donor remarked, “The sharing my mother practiced her whole life was our family’s greatest asset. Now, together with my daughter, I wish to pass that precious value to the leading figures of Korean science.” They added, “If this fund can provide practical help to young scholars, that alone is a sufficiently rewarding thing.”

Our university has decided to establish the ‘Cho Gi-yeop Next-Generation Research Leader Fellowship,’ named after the donor’s mother. The ‘Cho Gi-yeop Fellowship’ is designed as a principal-preserved fund, where the 5 billion KRW principal is maintained and the program is operated using the investment returns. Additionally, expressing the wish to “support young scientists as soon as possible,” the donor contributed an extra 60 million KRW for the first year of the program’s implementation.

Accordingly, starting this year, three ‘Cho Gi-yeop Fellows’ will be selected annually and supported with 20 million KRW each in academic activity expenses for three years. The fellowship is aimed at junior faculty members, specifically assistant and associate professors before tenure. This period is a ‘golden time’ when research capabilities grow explosively and innovative achievements are concentrated, but it is also a time when securing stable research funding is desperately needed. The support funds will be used to enhance research autonomy and scalability, such as for challenging research planning, international academic activities, and the expansion of research infrastructure. KAIST expects this fellowship to serve as a practical foundation for young researchers to make a global leap forward.