Sungkyunkwan aims for quantum leap in research with cross-boundary clusters
Published: 27 Nov. 2025, 14:46
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- LEE TAE-HEE
- [email protected]
![Kim Jun-ki, professor at Sungkyunkwan University, is conducting a particle motion control experiment at his lab at the university's Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 20. [KIM JONG-HO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/27/5513317d-6783-4ed5-b09e-cce24cb1ea5a.jpg)
Kim Jun-ki, professor at Sungkyunkwan University, is conducting a particle motion control experiment at his lab at the university's Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 20. [KIM JONG-HO]
Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University’s Quantum Engineering Lab in Suwon, Gyeonggi, were busy on Nov. 20 running an experiment using a particle-control apparatus with a complex, snaking bundle of wires.
The researchers were conducting an experiment to adjust the motion of charged particles to improve quantum computing performance.
Kim Jun-ki, a professor in the Department of Quantum Information Engineering, said his team is developing stable ion-trapping technology with partners such as ETH Zurich.
“It has been 100 years since the theory of quantum mechanics was established, but quantum technologies have started to attract real attention in the past 20 years,” said Kim. “The technology gap is yet to widen, and now is a crucial moment for research.”
Universities that received high marks in the faculty research category of The JoongAng University Rankings 2025 secured significant national research projects based on strong research capacity.
The JoongAng University Rankings 2025, released Wednesday, evaluated 53 universities out of 190 four-year institutions in Korea. For the comprehensive rankings, universities are ranked on a scale of 290 points across four criteria: faculty research (95 points), educational environment (75 points), student output (80 points) and social reputation (40 points).
Sungkyunkwan University, which placed third in the faculty research category, earned 588.4 billion won ($402 million) in research funding last year, ranking first in external research funding per faculty member for two years in a row. Kim’s team alone secured 7.3 billion won over four years for quantum research. The university also won major grants for studies on two-dimensional quantum structures at 30.7 billion won over five years, display specialization projects at 15 billion won over five years and personalized immunotherapy at 9.5 billion won over seven years.
"Global institutions such as Stanford University produce notable results through interdisciplinary research clusters that involve more than 1,000 researchers," said Yoo Pil-jin, head Sungkyunkwan University's Office of Planning and Coordination. “We are building similar research clusters that cross boundaries between fields, institutions and countries."
National universities outside Seoul performed strongly in internal investments.
Chonnam National University led the category for the second year in a row, securing 28.8 billion won in internal research funds.
"We are investing all available resources into research to grow into a globally competitive research institution," said Jang Geu-pil, head of Chonnam National University's research affairs."
Many universities with strong research performance offer robust incentives for top researchers.
Kwangwoon University, which ranked first in the Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) metric, and ninth overall in the faculty research category, provides its faculty with funding based on the number of citations their international journal articles receive.
The support is 50,000 won per citation, with each faculty able to receive up to 10 million won per year. Faculty members who publish in top journals, including Nature, receive a 30 million won bonus.
Sejong University earned 26.4 billion won in technology royalties over the past three years, showing that its research output has commercial value. It ranked first in the technology transfer income per science and engineering faculty metric and second in revenue per technology transfer metric, placing eighth in the faculty research category.
Yeungnam University, ranked 18th in faculty research, delivered a strong performance in both the quantity and quality of research. It placed third in the FWCI metric and fifth in international journal publications per faculty member.
"We strengthened research support systems in response to shifts in advanced industries such as artificial intelligence and have worked to improve our research ecosystem," said Lee Hee-yong, head of Yeungnam University's Office of Planning and Coordination.
Dong-A University stood out in international collaboration. Of its 1,923 co-authored papers between 2020 and 2023, 971 were written with overseas universities, giving it an international collaboration ratio of 50.5 percent and placing it third in that metric.
Evaluation criteria
Now in its 33rd year, The JoongAng University Rankings has refined its indicators based on its expertise as Korea's comprehensive university evaluation framework.
This year, the rankings expanded the scope of the alumni impact on society metric, part of the student output indicator, using the JoongAng Ilbo's biographical database.
Unlike The JoongAng University Rankings by Subject released on Tuesday, the comprehensive ranking examines university reputation through a survey of 2,400 corporate hiring managers, high school teachers who handle admissions, parents and high school students. This year’s survey added questions on universities' social contributions and the potential for future contributions, aiming to evaluate universities’ societal responsibilities and long-term impact.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE HOO-YEON, HEO JEONG-WON AND OH SAM-GWON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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