Information technology service provider LG CNS said Thursday it has inked a deal with Korea University to nurture future talent in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence and data science.

Under the new industrial-academic partnership, a department temporarily named “AI and Data Science” will be set up at Korea University’s graduate school, and students will receive a job offer at the company upon graduation.

Starting next year, the department plans to admit over 20 graduate students on an annual basis. Enrolled students will be offered full tuition as well as partial aid for living expenses.

The curriculum and courses will be jointly developed and overseen by professors from the Korea University Department of Data Science and the AI and data analysis researchers and professionals from LG CNS.

The signing ceremony was held at the university's main building in Seongbuk district in Seoul on Wednesday, with officials including LG CNS CEO Hyun Shin-gyoon and Korea University’s President Kim Dong-won in attendance.

“To enhance our competitive edge in the area of digital transformation, it is essential to secure top talent equipped with professionalism and problem-solving skills,” Hyun said.

“By cooperating with Korea University to foster future AI experts, we plan to lead the digital transition and deliver the best customer values in the field."

The latest partnership marks the second major educational department LG CNS has established. LG CNS and Chung-Ang University jointly established a retraining-based department aimed at enhancing the skills of the company's existing employees in cybersecurity.

Alongside the new department, the LG CNS and Korea University also plan to bolster its ongoing academic apprenticeship program under which recruitment areas will be expanded beyond the field of software.

LG CNS has already been running various recruitment-linked internship programs in collaboration with other educational institutes including Seoul National University and Chung-Ang University.