The Taiwan Bridges Project is to link Taiwan with global partners to advance higher education and cultivate top-tier talent, President William Lai (賴清德) said at the project’s official launch today.
Former Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) spearheaded the project, which is to invite 31 Nobel Prize laureates to come to Taiwan for academic exchanges from now until May next year.
The project’s opening ceremony was held today at National Taiwan University (NTU), welcoming Sir Andre Geim, who received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics and teaches at the University of Manchester.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Geim is known for his work with graphene, which ushered in a new era of nanotechnology and earned him and his colleague Konstantin Novoselov the Nobel Prize.
Speaking as honorary project chair, Lai told the opening ceremony that only through dialogue and cooperation among science, education and diplomacy can humanity find shared solutions amid current global instability and division.
Taiwan’s academic papers have been increasingly cited over the past decade, showing that the nation’s research is highly recognized internationally, Lai said.
The Ministry of Education helped form an alliance between NTU and 12 other universities in 2023, which has supported Taiwan in building strong partnerships with leading universities in the US, Europe and Japan, he said.
These partnerships promote exchanges and joint research among academics and students, making Taiwan a key hub for global talent, he added.
Another program launched in August established six key research centers at five universities, focusing on cutting-edge fields including artificial intelligence, biomedicine, information and communications technology, quantum science and marine technology, Lai said.
These centers would support international collaboration and innovation, making Taiwan a global hub for scientific research and technological development, he added.
The value of science lies not only in discovering truth, but also in promoting human understanding and peace, Lee said, adding that the project would allow scientists to transcend cultural and geographical barriers to contemplate the future direction of humanity together.
Additional reporting by CNA
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