Samsung SDI signed a memorandum of understanding with Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Thursday, to establish an academic department dedicated to raising future experts on battery engineering, the company said, Friday.

Named as the “Department of Battery Engineering,” the department will be run as a four-year undergraduate program at SKKU’s College of Engineering from March 2026.

The program is planned to accept a pool of some 30 students annually for the next 10 years. Students admitted to the department will undergo a holistic range of catered battery education covering areas from materials and cells to modules and packs.

Samsung SDI will offer jobs to those earning bachelor’s degrees from the department. The battery maker explained that the department’s 커뮤니티 establishment is aimed at securing experts in the battery industry, which is growing rapidly amid the increasing demand for electric vehicles.

“Securing and nurturing top talent is Samsung SDI’s future competitiveness,” Samsung SDI CEO Choi Yoon-ho said.

“Through this MOU with SKKU, we will secure a pool of key talent that will lead the battery market, thereby bolstering our ‘super-gap’ technological competitiveness as a global top-tier company.”

SKKU President Yoo Ji-beom said, “With the rising importance of battery technologies, SKKU and Samsung SDI will together strive to achieve sustainable advances based on mutual trust and collaborations.”

Since 2021, the battery manufacturing unit of Samsung has been operating programs to nurture battery experts in collaboration with various universities, including POSTECH, Seoul National University, KAIST, Hanyang University, SKKU and UNIST.

The company plans to establish more departments specializing in battery technologies in its industry-academia partnerships.