KAIST was established by the Korean government in 1971 as a research university to grant graduate degrees only in science and technology. In 1986, the university broadened its mission to offer undergraduate programs. Over the past 45 years, KAIST has played a critical role in Korea's rapid economic growth, conducting the majority of the nation's strategic research and development (R&D) projects and training highly skilled researchers and engineers. Today, KAIST has received international recognition as a global research university.