Taiwanese universities on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote cooperation with Japanese universities in Okinawa Prefecture and Kyushu with a subsidy provided by the Ministry of Education, the ministry said yesterday.
The University Academic Alliance in Taiwan, comprising 12 universities, signed the MOU with the Kyushu-Okinawa Open University comprising 11 Japanese universities, the ministry said in a news release.
National Taiwan University president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) and Kyushu University president Tatsuro Ishibashi on behalf of the groups, signed the MOU, with representatives from the 23 universities involved as well as Deputy Minister of Education Liu Mon-chi (劉孟奇) and Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima witnessing, it said.
Photo courtesy of National Sun Yat-sen University via CNA
Fukuoka, which is in Kyushu, would support and promote cooperation between the universities and industry, Takashima said.
Taiwan and Japan have been working closely on higher education and the cooperation deepened after the Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing joint venture between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and its Japanese partners was established, Liu said.
To support the initiatives outlined in the MOU, the ministry is to provide NT$50 million (US$1.53 million) annually from this year to 2028 for exchanges, including faculty and student interactions, dual-degree programs, cooperative research, corporate internships, international industry-university cooperation and Mandarin-language education, he said.
At a forum after the ceremony, the two university groups introduced the characteristics of their institutions and the efforts they have made to cultivate talent, the ministry said.
The Taiwanese alliance has signed similar MOUs with four other groups abroad, the University of Illinois System, the Texas A&M University System, the University of Texas System and a group of 14 Czech universities, it said.
In other developments, National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) signed MOUs with four US universities on cooperation in chemistry, polymers, materials, engineering and finance, NSYSU said yesterday.
During a visit to the US with faculty and staff members, Cheng signed agreements with Case Western Reserve University, the University of Akron, Rutgers University and Baruch College to bolster international connections and cultivate more international talent, it said.
NSYSU has a dual degree program that allows its undergraduate students to study for three years at NSYSU followed by two years at a US university, after which they would be able to obtain a bachelor’s degree from NSYSU and a master’s degree from the US university, it said.
The new MOUs provide students with more opportunities to study at prestigious US universities, which is an outcome of NSYSU’s efforts to promote international cooperation, it said.
Creating an internationalized environment for students has always been the goal of NSYSU, Cheng said, adding that the promotion of international cooperation in the past few years symbolizes its commitment to education and academics.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS