National Tsinghua University (清大) and National Chiao Tung University (交大) yesterday agreed to merge in response to the Executive Yuan's five-year plan designed to push at least one local university into the world's top-100 rankings.
Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday recognized the merger plan and announced the launch of the five-year plan, which is part of the government's five-year, NT$500 billion 10 new public construction projects.
"We'll earmark NT$50 billion in a special budget for the next five years and hope to see one to three universities placed among the world's top 100," Yu told the press conference last night.
Public and private universities meeting the requirements for a merger are required to present their merger plan, including how they propose to integrate their resources, faculty and campuses and how much time would be needed to complete the process.
A Cabinet-level review committee will then screen the application. Approved universities will receive an annual subsidy of NT$3 billion for five years, totaling NT$15 billion. The Cabinet has earmarked NT$10 billion for the project for next year.
Yu said that the plan is not tailor-made for the Tsinghua and Chiao Tung universities, because all universities meeting the requirements and passing the review are eligible for the government funding.
Yu also pointed out that it was not the ranking the government is after but the universities' academic capability.
"If our universities cannot reach international standards, we'll lose the opportunity to cooperate or exchange with international institutions and cultivate talents possessing international competitiveness. What's worse, our technological edge will deteriorate and economic and social development slacken," he said.
Tsinghua University President Frank Shu (徐遐生) said that he hoped to see the two universities' merger completed in five years.
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