To continue promoting academic exchanges and enhancing talent cultivation, President Jia-Yush Yen of Taiwan Tech led a delegation to visit sister schools in the Netherlands and Germany for exchange purposes in mid-November 2023. Discussions were held on future collaborations, such as joint research seed funding, laboratory internships, joint seminars, bilateral talent mobility programs, and other specific plans. This initiative aims to pave the way for a comprehensive international development path for the university.

In recent years, due to the impact of the pandemic, physical exchanges between international sister schools have slowed down. This visit marks the first time President Jia-Yush Yen led a delegation to Europe since the pandemic. The delegation included Professor San-Liang Lee, Dean of Industry-Academia Innovation College and Director of the Heterogeneous-Integrated Silicon Photonics Integration Center; Professor Bing-Joe Hwang, German Humboldt Research Award winner and Director of the Center for Sustainable Electrochemical Energy Development Center at the university; Cheng-Fa Yang, director of Office of Industry-Academia Collaboration; and Professor Ming-Jyh Chern, Dean of the College of Engineering. They met with sister schools in Europe, including Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven) in the Netherlands, Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) in Germany, and Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig) in Germany.

President Jia-Yush Yen (fifth from the right) and Dr. Robert-Jan Smits, President of Eindhoven University of Technology (middle), pictured together with faculty members from both institutions.

Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and Taiwan Tech have signed agreements for bilateral student exchanges and joint talent cultivation programs such as the cooperative doctoral program for design majors. Dr. Robert-Jan Smits, the President of Eindhoven University of Technology, is also a key figure in the European Union's Horizon 2020 program. President Jia-Yush Yen warmly invited Dr. Smits to serve as an advisory committee member at the university level for Taiwan Tech. It is anticipated that in the coming year (2024), Dr. Smits will visit Taiwan Tech for discussions and professional exchanges, initiating more diverse modes of collaboration.

During the visit to Germany, there were two main focuses. The primary objective was to delve into action plans for joint research projects on semiconductor photonics technology and battery research with the two visited universities. The Saxony region where Technische Universität Dresden is located is a semiconductor ecosystem in Europe and the site where TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is planning to set up a joint venture. Taiwan Tech has joined a talent cultivation program in collaboration with Saxony and TSMC, called the Semiconductor Talent Incubation Program. In the future, Taiwan Tech will welcome exchange students selected by Technische Universität Dresden to study semiconductor-related knowledge and undertake internships at TSMC's training center, collectively fostering multinational high-end technical talents.

Dr. Hubert Lakner (fourth from the left) of the German IPMS Photonics Research Institute interacts with the delegation from Taiwan Tech while introducing products.

Moreover, Technische Universität Dresden signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Taiwan Tech in April of the current year (2023) to promote mutual visits of faculty and students in the fields of electronics, electrical engineering, academic cooperation, and research. During this return visit to Technische Universität Dresden, in-depth discussions were held with its President, Dr. Ursula Staudinger, concerning future plans for exchange students in research labs, joint supervision of academic papers, collaborative research, the establishment of joint master's and doctoral programs, and cooperation in heterogeneous photonics technology. The Taiwan Tech’s delegation also met with Michael Schmischke, Chief of Staff of the Saxony State Government's Department for Technology, Culture, and Tourism, and Dr. Walter Kühme, Director of Education and Technology, to expand international connections in the field of education and demonstrate robust academic diplomatic capabilities.

President Jia-Yush Yen (fifth from the left) and the delegation visited the Nanoelectronics Research Laboratory (NamLab) at the Technische Universität Dresden in Germany, where they took a photograph with Dr. Thomas Mikolajick, the center's director (sixth from the left).

The delegation visited the Battery Laboratory (BLB) at the Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany and took a photograph with the center's team, including Dr. Sabrina Zellmer (sixth from the left).

Technische Universität Braunschweig, a long-term partner of Taiwan Tech, is one of Germany's nine key industrial universities. Since 2017, Vice President Dr. Arnold Kwade and Professor Bing-Joe Hwang have been executing the Taiwan-Germany Lithium Battery Project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the National Science Council (NSC) of Taiwan, establishing a long-term and stable cooperative relationship.

Technische Universität Braunschweig also opened and provided detailed introductions to seven major research centers: the Mobility Research Center, Battery Laboratory, Aerospace Technology Center, Medical Engineering Laboratory, Nanoscale Measurement Laboratory, Digital Construction Engineering Center, and Fire Protection Laboratory. President Dr. Angela Ittel expressed particular concern about international exchange resources for Taiwan Tech students. Professor Hwang Bing-Joe mentioned that besides exchange scholarships, the laboratories at Taiwan Tech encourage students to engage in various ways to facilitate exchanges, promoting cross-border learning and expanding perspectives for students from both universities.

Taiwan Tech deeply cultivates cooperation with Germany and has established a longstanding and stable advisory cooperation relationship and student-faculty interaction with Eindhoven University of Technology, a Dutch research base. Both institutions exchange opinions, draw on each other's strengths, and jointly formulate successful models for student-faculty exchanges. By continually encouraging faculty and students to engage in international scientific research, Taiwan Tech strives to facilitate deeper international exchanges and research cooperation, paving the way for a comprehensive internationalization of the university and creating opportunities for mutual success for the institution and its students and faculty.

President Jia-Yush Yen (on the right) pictured with Dr. Angela Ittel, the President of Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany (on the left).

President Jia-Yush Yen (on the left) and the delegation visited Mr. Michael Schmischke, Chief of Staff of the Department for Technology, Culture, and Tourism of the Saxony State Government in Germany (first from the right), and his team to explore potential funding sources and their utilization.