Focused Research University (FRU), differentiating INU from Comprehensive Research Universities (CRU) or Intensive Research Universities (IRU)
Albeit a comprehensive university, INU has chosen to become a “Focused Research University.” As an FRU, it has identified a number of university-wide themes such as biotech, post-unification integration and climate change. INU then encourages all its faculty members, regardless of their specific majors, to conduct research into one of them for more fruitful convergence among heterogeneous fields. A notable scheme in INU’s act of convergence is “permutation in reverse order.” The conventional wisdom is for scholars of hard science such as natural sciences and engineering, moving into soft science of humanities and social sciences. INU encourages the sequence the other way around. At INU’s annual Global Bio-Convergence Conference for example, more than 30 professors of English literature, history, art, and culture presented research papers on biotech. Such unconventional challenges make these papers inspirational, securing their position unique in the academic world.

The Matrix College curriculum reflecting company needs
For too long, the job market has seen a mismatch between the skill sets held by university graduates and the expectations of employers. Despite various efforts in the past, most companies and universities remain at odds over this issue. INU has confronted this problem head on by allowing companies and institutions to design university curricula based on their needs. This led to the launch of the innovative educational program called the Matrix College. Its model is an industry-university matrix curriculum, with the university’s intensive major curricula on the x-axis and the employment-linked curricula on the y-axis. By taking courses at the intersection of these two axes, students can prepare themselves as well-suited job candidates for desired employers. This is one of the leading innovative programs of its type in the world.

Founding and implementing 76 innovative projects since 2016
This book recounts various innovative programs carried out at INU over the past four years. The concept of the focused research university, as well as the use of employment-linked curricula designed by companies and institutions, were both unprecedented moves.
In August 2016, INU devised a framework for 28 new projects, which were two years later further subdivided into 72 innovation projects. In December 2019, these innovation projects were further expanded to 76 in INU’s “2nd Innovation Case Report” submitted to the Ministry of Education. Here, this book provides insight into these projects along with the step-by-step process that went into creating a culture of innovation at INU. Each project falls under the category of “world’s first,” “Korea’s first,” or “INU’s first.” The appendix includes the full list of the 76 innovation projects that readers can access for their reference.


Candid discussion of challenges facing bottom-up innovation
Going beyond case studies of achievements, this book engages in a candid discussion of the challenges and side-effects of innovation. The implementation of these innovation projects at INU met with some unexpected obstacles as well as “reasonable objections” among the working-level staff. These issues were duly examined by using staff inputs to reach suitable solutions. This book shares details of this problem-solving process, focusing on INU’s method for selecting and implementing projects, surveying opinions, and gathering feedback from the field. This allows the book to serve as a benchmarking tool for those universities and institutions that are seeking to make their own changes.
This book is also the first of its kind in the sense that it was written not by a CEO or a professor, but by the 275 members of the INU staff as a collaborative effort, thus challenging the notion that innovation should be initiated from the top. This book embodies INU’s motto of “bottom-up innovation,” compiling the on-site records and reports from its staff. They are the driving force for innovation, the fearless change-makers at INU.