Five national universities are expected to establish six research centers in areas of national focus as part of the Ministry of Education’s goal of attracting international talent and supporting local academics to improve Taiwan’s academic competitive edge internationally.
The centers will begin attracting students in the upcoming semester, starting in August, the ministry said.
The project is expected to cost about NT$300 million (US$10.02 million) annually and each center developed would receive NT$50 million in funding, Department of Higher Education Director-General Liao Kao-hsien (廖高賢) said.
Photo courtesy of the National Sun Yat-sen University Underwater Vehicle R&D Center
National Taiwan University President Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) said the university would establish two centers focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced biomedicine.
The university also plans to invest NT$5 million per year, Chen added.
National Tsing Hua University Vice President Tai Nien-hua (戴念華) said that their university’s center would specialize in quantum technology, a crucial part of future technological development, with applications spanning physics, materials science, information engineering and mechanical engineering.
National Cheng Kung University President Shen Meng-ru (沈孟儒) said the university’s center would focus on medicine, electronics and engineering, especially on adapting cutting-edge technology for clinical use.
National Sun Yat-sen University President Lee Chih-peng (李志鵬) said that their center would concentrate on marine technology development, as it hopes to bring the nation’s marine technology up to par with the EU, the US and Japan, and open a new market for Taiwanese industries.
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University President Lin Chi-hung (林奇宏) said that the university’s center would specialize in AI development.
A deeper understanding of cloud and edge AI applications would enable better utilization of technology for industrial development, while also ensuring that Taiwan leads future developmental trends, he said.
Separately, the ministry said it would be providing additional subsidies to departments in twelve universities with exceptional performance.
To encourage universities to work toward being listed among the world’s top 100 universities, the ministry is providing NT$20 million in subsidies to departments that are mentioned in the top 50 on EQ, THE or ESI rankings, it said.
Departments and schools listed from 51 to 100 are also eligible to receive NT$10 million in additional funding.
Chen said the subsidies would help departments advance further in the world rankings.
On the other hand, Tai said that the move, despite its good intentions, was not without its blind spots, and urged the ministry to allow the universities to participate in deciding the criteria.
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