This paper argues that the College of Engineering at Seoul National University(SNU) established and expanded it's role as a research institute in Korea's research and development during the 1980’s. Key factors in defining and securing the role and function of the College of Engineering at SNU were the industrial context of each period and the relationship between the university and industry. The role of the engineering college as a research institution shifted based on the engineering knowledge required by industry. The case of SNU’s College of Engineering reveals the development of the role of engineering colleges from multiple perspectives as they gradually grew into research-centered institutions. The College of Engineering at SNU sought to expand its role from an institution conducting basic research for educational purposes to a research institution generating outcomes that could benefit industry through collaboration with the industrial sector. From this perspective, the 1980s can be seen not only as a period in which SNU's College of Engineering, and more broadly, science and engineering colleges in Korea, expanded their roles as research institutions, but also as a time when they established themselves as a pillar of research and development.