-POSCO TJ Park Foundation establishes a basic scientist training program in 2009 for the first time as a private company

-As part of 'With POSCO” project to prevent the outflow of national talents overseas and to improve the harsh research environment of young scientists

POSCO TJ Park Foundation held the 10th POSCO Science Fellowship event on Oct 25 at Chungsongdae(Pohang).

At the event, a total of 32 people, including 23 rising professors, 4 postdoctorates and 5 doctoral candidates, were selected for the POSCO Science Fellow.

▲ On Oct 25 2018, 32 people selected for the POSCO Science Fellowship took a commemorative photo after the ceremony at POSCO Cheongsongdae(Pohang)  

As part of “With POSCO” project, POSCO Science Fellowship selects 30 people from rising professors, postdoctorates, and doctoral candidates in the field of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and life sciences who are studying basic science in Korea every year and supports the research fund of KRW70~75mil for 2~3 years.

POSCO TJ Park Foundation has been discovering scientific scholars who are devoting themselves to research in a difficult environment rather than a so-called "Researchers of Good Specs” and holding symposiums by field every year to provide opportunities for fellows to build a network and research jointly.  

At the time of the establishment in 2009, POSCO Science Fellowship was intended to prevent the outflow of national talents overseas and to improve the harsh research environment of young scientists with the aim to firmly establish the foundation of basic science in Korea, which was unlike foreign scholarship programs operated by other foundations. Now, after 10 years of its establishment, it is evaluated by the scientific community as a fellowship that selects the best scholars of the year, and has been established as the gateway to future careers for newly rising scientists in the Korea’s scientific community.

With the belief that only the best scientists recognize talents, 61 experts from the academic community participated as judges. And to ensure transparent and fair selection process, the selection process is being operated in 3-step process: the documentary review by the expert committee, the secondary review by external scientists, and the final interview by the selection committee.

Over the last 10 years since the establishment, POSCO TJ Park Foundation has supported a total of 307 fellows (707 people in the mathematics: 76 people in the physics, 75 people in the chemistry, 86 people in the life sciences: and 85 doctoral students, 59 postdoctorates, and 163 rising professors by the level of course).

Meanwhile, POSCO TJ Park Foundation has the plan to take the lead in helping young basic scientists, who are the foundation of all industries, to be able to concentrate on researches with a sense of pride and stability.