University of Science and Technology (UST, 과학기술연합대학원대학교), commonly known as Korea University of Science and Technology, is a specialized national postgraduate university system headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea. Established in 2003 by the South Korean government under the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), UST was founded with a unique organizational model: rather than operating as a conventional standalone university with traditional campus faculties, it functions as an elite national R&D consortium university. UST unites roughly 30 premier government-funded research institutes (GRIs) across South Korea into an integrated graduate school. Master’s and doctoral students are directly embedded as full-time junior researchers within national research complexes—such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)—working alongside senior national scientists on sovereign science, space exploration, nuclear fusion, and advanced quantum technologies.

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