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LSU and Hyundai Steel have entered into a research partnership designed to support Hyundai’s planned $5.8 billion steel mill in Ascension Parish while also building a long-term, skilled workforce pipeline for the steel industry.
The two organizations signed an agreement on Tuesday that establishes a framework for sponsored research and jointly developed technology. The partnership will focus on the rapid advancement of research projects across the fields of metallurgy, materials science, energy, robotics, automation and environmental engineering.
The agreement is designed to allow individual research projects to move forward without requiring separate negotiations over intellectual property, project structure, publication rights and the handling of proprietary data.
For Hyundai, the agreement offers access to research infrastructure that would be costly to replicate internally. For LSU, it offers the prospect of long-term applied research opportunities connected to one of the largest industrial investments in Louisiana’s history.
“Today, LSU and Hyundai Steel will sign a Master Research Agreement, but it’s more than that,” LSU Chancellor James Dalton said in a Tuesday afternoon press conference just before the agreement was signed. “It’s a shared commitment to build, to develop new materials that are stronger and more sustainable, to create new academic programs for our students, to create new jobs, to bridge LSU and Hyundai Steel researchers to jointly tackle challenges, to bring innovation to the world through Louisiana, to invent and to invest together. The agreement represents the most comprehensive industry partnership in LSU’s history. The largest ever.”
Potential areas of collaboration include the use, transport and storage of clean energy; smart factory and robotic technologies; manufacturing process optimization; and the development of new engineered performance materials.
“I think we’ve really emphasized, again, why LSU’s research capacity differentiates us from every other university in the United States,” said Robert Twilley, LSU’s vice president for research and development. “We’re located along the Mississippi River, which is one of the largest rivers in the world, and because of that river and its resources, we sit on the banks of one of the largest industrial complexes in the nation.”
As for workforce, the agreement expands Hyundai’s efforts in Louisiana beyond technician-level training already being provided through River Parishes Community College and Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart program. Students in LSU’s research and graduate programs will now have access to internships and careers tied to Hyundai’s Louisiana operation as well as to the company’s broader industrial network.
The Ascension steel mill is expected to create about 1,300 direct new jobs.
“We look forward to developing future talent together,” said Yoo-dong Chung, senior vice president and head of R&D for Hyundai Steel. “Developing highly skilled professionals in the steel industry will be essential for driving innovation and ensuring sustainable growth. LSU’s outstanding educational and research capabilities will play a critical role in this effort.”
Hyundai’s facility will be built on an approximately 1,800-acre site at the RiverPlex MegaPark near Donaldsonville and is scheduled for completion in 2029.
The mill will produce automotive-grade steel primarily for Hyundai Motor Group’s U.S. vehicle manufacturing plants, though Hyundai does also plan to sell to other domestic automakers.
LSU’s agreement with Hyundai comes as the university pushes toward its goal of becoming a top 50 research institution nationally.
