Scholars from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) asked National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) to support its plan to establish an Asia Entrepreneurship Development Center in Taiwan.
Discussions regarding the center -- which would train new business leaders and high tech executives -- took place yesterday on the NCTU campus between Ken Morse, the director of MIT's Entrepreneurship Center, Donald Lessard, Deputy Dean of the Sloan School at MIT, and NCTU President Chang Chun-yen (
Chang told the Taipei Times yesterday that the MIT scholars contacted him to solicit his support for the idea. Chang said Morse and Lessard have been very enthusiastic about winning the university's support in launching the project.
The plan for the center is to bring Taiwan's entrepreneurs into a global network of like-minded partners who wish to collaborate in building new businesses.
"MIT has asked for NCTU's recognition of the center not only because many NCTU graduates have become successful, world-famous entrepreneurs, but also because the university's graduates have published more academic research than other first-class universities around the world," Chang said.
Chang revealed his support for the proposal by pointing out that the center would serve as a model of dual interaction between the world's first class universities and the business sector.
"Moreover, it will also provide a forum to apply business management to technology and to put the theory of entrepreneurship into real practice," Chang told the Taipei Times.
Once established, the experiences and academic resources at MIT's Entrepreneurship Center will be shared with Taiwan to create a new research system aimed at offering training to students, business executives and government officials.
* The center would bring together students, business leaders and government officials.
* It would also connect Taiwan's entrepreneurs to a global network of people who want to collaborate in creating new businesses.
* It would also seek to be a center for business research.
"In fact, the center would also be able to showcase the spirit and successful experiences of our distinguished alumni, including Founder of the Acer Group (宏電) Stan Shih (施振榮), United Microelectronics Corp (聯電) Chairman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) and Chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) Morris Chang (張忠謀), in an international forum," Chang said.
The Entrepreneur Center at MIT teaches high-tech entrepreneurship and seeks to foster both research and collaboration. Its renowned US$50,000 Entrepreneurship Competition and coursework in new enterprises and entrepreneurship laboratory encourage MIT students to launch their own high-tech startup businesses.
If the proposed plan could is realized, the center will be another successful model set up by MIT following the establishment of the new Entrepreneur Development Center at Cambridge University.
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