KAIST said on the 26th that it received a development fund of 5.06 billion won embodying a family's noble spirit of sharing. The donation was completed across three generations: the father decided to give based on the grandmother's bequest, and the daughter carried out that wish.
The donor said, "I hope the research achievements of KAIST's young scientists will shine more than the donor's name," and declined all pledge ceremonies or recognition events that would reveal the name. In line with the donor's wishes, all procedures were kept simple, and the identity will not be disclosed.
The donor, in their 70s and living in Seoul, built a business and found success based on the mother's bequest, having practiced sharing during her lifetime. Recently, the donor decided to return part of the mother's bequest to society.
The donor said, "The sharing my mother practiced throughout her life was the greatest asset of our family," and added, "Now, together with my daughter, I want to deliver that precious value to the leaders of science in Korea." The donor continued, "If this fund provides practical help to young scholars, that alone will be rewarding."
KAIST will establish the "Jo Gi-yeop Next-Generation Research Leader Fellowship," named after the donor's mother. The "Jo Gi-yeop Fellowship" is designed as a principal-preserving fund that maintains the principal of 5 billion won and operates programs with operating revenue. The donor also contributed an additional 60 million won for the first year of the program, expressing a desire to "support young scientists as soon as possible."
Starting this year, three "Jo Gi-yeop Fellows" will be selected annually, and each will receive 20 million won per year for three years to support academic activities. The fellowship is open to early-career faculty at the assistant and associate professor levels prior to tenure.
The funds will be used to enhance research autonomy and scalability, including planning challenging research, international academic activities, and expanding research infrastructure.