Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, simply referred to as UNIST is one of the four public universities in South Korea which are dedicated to research in science and technology, along with KAIST, GIST, and DGIST. UNIST was founded in 2007 in response to growing demand for higher education in the Korean industrial capital of Ulsan, where world-renowned automotive (Hyundai Motor), shipbuilding (Hyundai Heavy Industries), petrochemical (SK Energy), and secondary cells industries are clustered. At the time of its foundation, UNIST was known for being the first national university in South Korea to be incorporated and thus administered by an independent board of trustees despite being funded by the central government. UNIST has the vision of becoming a world-leader in the advancement of science and technology for the prosperity of humankind. With strong support from central and local governments, UNIST aims to develop at least 10 competitive areas of research with the goal of being ranked top 10 globally by the year 2030. The strategies for reaching this goal include creative, interdisciplinary and global education and research.
