President Park Geun-hye on Thursday urged local engineering universities to launch sweeping reforms to nurture better talent and develop the new technologies required to lead her vision of a creative economy.

“I hope that engineering universities can transform themselves into advanced bases for the creative economy. A creative economy, after all, depends on people,” Park said during a meeting of the presidential advisory panel on science and technology.

Park’s mantra of a creative economy is aimed at integrating the ICT sector with other industries. Park believes that the new vision would help enhance national competitiveness and create new markets.

To boost the vision, Park stressed that engineering universities should step up efforts to produce new technologies that have high commercial potential rather than focusing on lab research. Park herself majored in electronic engineering at Sogang University in Seoul.

“Behind the success of Silicon Valley in the U.S., there was an excellent engineering college nearby. (I was told that) the engineering college (there) became an incubator for start-up companies and venture firms in Silicon Valley,” she said.

“(Our engineering universities) should also step up efforts to provide practical courses and intensify research to produce the better talent needed for the businesses, and to commercialize research results and develop new markets,” she added.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)