NCKU Leads in Sustainability, Reaches New Milestone: Wins 7 Awards at the 2026 Global Views USR Awards, Ranking First in Taiwan for 5 Consecutive Years
Written by Hsu Tsu-Yueh. Image credit to NCKU News Center.
The results of the 7th Global Views University Social Responsibility (USR) Awards in 2026 have been announced. National Cheng Kung University delivered an outstanding performance, winning a total of 7 awards, including 1 winner, 5 excellence awards, and 1 distinction award. This marks the fifth consecutive year that NCKU has ranked first nationwide in total awards. This year, NCKU submitted 12 projects, with 8 shortlisted and 7 receiving awards, once again achieving the highest numbers in both shortlist selections and awards. Among the categories, the “Sustainable Curriculum” category stood out in particular. Since its introduction last year, NCKU has once again won the top prize as the winner in this category, demonstrating its continued commitment to the “United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4): Quality Education”.
NCKU leads in sustainability and reaches new milestone by winning 7 Awards at the 2026 Global Views USR Awards, ranking first in Taiwan for 5 consecutive years.
The winning project of NCKU is the Winner of the Sustainable Curriculum Category: “NCKU City Co-Learning for a Century of Sustainability: Electrical Engineering, Data Engineering, and Smart Governance”. In addition, there are five awardees receiving the Excellence Award, including “2024–2025 NCKU Sustainability Report” in the Sustainability Report Category, the “Smart Navigation for a New Way of Health: A Geo-AI Low-Pollution Routing System”, the “Guardian of the Brain, Building a Golden Chain for Stroke Rescue: Smart Transfer System for Sustainable Resources in Acute Stroke Care” and the “Care beyond Cure: the Hospitality for Living with Epidermolysis Bullosa” in the Well-being and Co-existence Category, and the “‘4 + 13 = 17’ Actions Born from the Depth of Understanding: Connecting the Oceans of Sustainability Education” in the Sustainable Curriculum Category. One awardee of the Distinction Award is the “AI for Detecting Fraud in Import Declarations” in the Industry Co-creation Category.
The 7th Global Views USR Awards ceremony was held on the afternoon of April 9, 2026, in Taipei. More than 30 university representatives attended the event, including presidents, vice presidents, and chief sustainability officers. According to Global Views, a total of 222 projects from 57 universities were submitted this year, setting a new record. Among them, 94 projects were shortlisted, with a selection rate of only 42.3%, showing strong competition.
In her acceptance speech, NCKU Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen expressed that each award represents responsibility and motivation, reflecting the university’s commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) values.
In her acceptance speech, NCKU Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen expressed her gratitude to Global Views. She said the awards bring universities together to share their efforts and results in social practice, “NCKU learns from this platform and reflects on areas for improvement.” After winning 8 awards at the 6th Global Views USR Awards in 2025, NCKU received 7 awards in 2026. She emphasized that each award represents responsibility and motivation, reflecting the university’s commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) values.
NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen pointed out, “Sustainable development in universities must be built on talent cultivation. At the same time, universities must respond to national challenges in the ever-changing geopolitics.” NCKU’s sustainability report shows how the university continues to address global changes and climate challenges through continuous innovation in education, excellence in research, and social responsibility. The report also highlights practical solutions to current issues. In the future, NCKU will continue to strengthen transparent governance, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and expand its social engagement, contributing to a more sustainable society.
Winner / Sustainable Curriculum Category / NCKU City Co-Learning for a Century of Sustainability: Electrical Engineering, Data Engineering, and Smart Governance
Professor Hsun-Ping Hsieh’s project have completed more than 60 practical projects over the past 10 years, benefiting more than 1.86 million citizens.
This award-winning project is led by Professor Hsun-Ping Hsieh from the Department of Electrical Engineering. It brings together faculty and students from different fields, along with departments of the Tainan City Government. The project has built a co-learning model between the university and the government, combining teaching innovation, talent development, and social practice. The project name reflects the idea of “growing together with the city.” It also shows the university’s commitment to using its expertise to support the city’s path toward a more sustainable future, with a long-term vision for a century of sustainability.
Over the past 10 years, Professor Hsieh and the team have completed more than 60 practical projects. These projects cover eight main areas, including smart transportation, city safety, environmental sustainability, digital governance, social justice, care for disadvantaged groups, local development, and public health and well-being. Key outcomes include drone-based search and rescue, improvements to the 1999 citizen service system, an AI-based early warning system for dengue fever, and flood evacuation route planning, benefiting more than 1.86 million citizens. The project shows how NCKU integrates academic research, interdisciplinary teaching, and local engagement to continuously respond to the needs of the city through innovation. It also demonstrates the university’s strong commitment to USR and sustainable urban development, creating a new model for collaboration between universities and cities.
Excellence Award / Sustainability Report Category / 2024–2025 NCKU Sustainability Report
Since 2016, NCKU has included the UN SDGs as a core part of its school development and has turned sustainability into clear policies, strategies, and actions. The 2024–2025 Sustainability Report presents NCKU’s results in five key areas including innovative governance, humanistic values, health and well-being, net-zero carbon emissions, and disaster resilience. The report shows how the university takes action using education and research to respond to global challenges and social needs.
This award-winning report was coordinated by Chair Professor Chuan-Pu Liu, Executive Director of the NCKU Sustainability Development Promotion Committee and Vice President for Research and Development. The report was compiled with input from various units across the university in accordance with international GRI standards. Not only does the report present NCKU’s sustainability performance and governance results for 2024–2025, it also serves as an important platform for communication with stakeholders. It shows the university’s strong commitment to advancing sustainability governance and USR.
Excellence Award / Well-being and Co-existence Category / Smart Navigation for a New Way of Health: A Geo-AI Low-Pollution Routing System
The project led by Professor Chih-Da Wu from the Department of Geomatics at NCKU combines Geo-AI technology with environmental health concepts and developed a low-pollution navigation system to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution during daily travel.
This project is a joint effort with the Ministry of Environment’s Department of Atmospheric Environment and Taipei Metro. It is led by Professor Chih-Da Wu from the Department of Geomatics at NCKU. The team combines Geo-AI technology with environmental health concepts and developed a low-pollution navigation system to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution during daily travel. The system integrates high-resolution air pollution models, road network analysis, and real-time environmental data to suggest smart routes that balance both the shortest distance and the lowest pollution exposure. It also provides useful information, such as exposure reduction rates, carbon reduction benefits, and healthy walking indicators. The system has been tested in the Taipei metropolitan area, showing how research can be applied in real-world settings. This project uses technology to address public health and sustainability issues. It also reflects NCKU’s commitment to USR, creating a people-centered model for healthier urban mobility.
Excellence Award / Well-being and Co-existence Category / Guardian of the Brain, Building a Golden Chain for Stroke Rescue: Smart Transfer System for Sustainable Resources in Acute Stroke Care
The EVTTS, a project led by Clinical Associate Professor Pi-Shan Sung from the Stroke Center of NCKU Hospital and Professor Che-Wei Lin from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is a transfer system for EVT for acute stroke that aims to strengthen the critical chain of stroke rescue.
This project is led by Associate Professor Pi-Shan Sung from the Stroke Center and Department of Neurology at NCKU Hospital, and Professor Che-Wei Lin from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The project developed the EVTTS, a transfer system for EVT for acute stroke. It was inspired by clinical challenges in treating patients with acute large vessel occlusion stroke. Although endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) can greatly improve patient outcomes, only a limited number of hospitals can perform the procedure. In the past, hospital transfers relied on phone calls or messaging apps and often led to delays and incomplete information.
The NCKU team combined expertise in medicine, biomedical engineering, and information technology. They worked with the Tainan City Public Health Bureau to apply the system in the region. The system establishes a co-guarding network for stroke treatment and now connects 26 hospitals across the Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan areas, also being tested in Taichung. It supports real-time data sharing, image uploads, and rapid physician response. It also tracks key time points in the transfer process to improve quality. After implementation, the time from stroke onset to hospital arrival was reduced by 32 minutes, and the time to EVT was reduced by 52 minutes. The rate of transferred patients receiving EVT increased from 17.8% to 42%. The rate of good recovery improved by 17%, while the mortality rate decreased by 12.6%. The system also reduced hospital stay and medical costs. This project improves regional healthcare efficiency and also shows how NCKU promotes smart healthcare and public health through its commitment to USR.
Excellence Award / Well-being and Co-existence Category / Care beyond Cure: the Hospitality for Living with Epidermolysis Bullosa
The project “Care beyond Cure: the Hospitality for Living with Epidermolysis Bullosa” shows the core spirit of NCKU to transform medical research into ethical actions. Project leader Assistant Professor Yi-Chun Lee (second from the right) emphasized whole-person care for the patients.
“Because the disease cannot be cured, we have a responsibility to care for those who suffer.” This idea is the starting point of the project, showing how NCKU’s medical research can be turned into ethical action. Project leader Assistant Professor Yi-Chun Lee explained, “When our medicine helps patients live longer, we continue to follow with holistic care as our social and ethical responsibility.”
Since 2018, the International Center for Wound Repair and Regeneration at NCKU, led by Distinguished Professor Ming Jer Tang, has focused on supporting patients with epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disease. With advanced diagnosis and personalized treatment led by Professor Chao-Kai Hsu’s team, NCKU has become a leading center for research and care in Asia. However, one patient raised a deeper question: “Medical care has improved my quality of life, but how can I live a meaningful life?” This question led the project to expand beyond medical care to build a full support system. It covers healthcare, education, employment, and long-term care, following three key ideas: whole-person care, life companionship, and shared support. The goal is to provide real and compassionate care for people with rare diseases. This award recognizes NCKU’s medical efforts to build a warm and invisible safety net for patients. The university will continue to support those in need with steady and compassionate care.
Excellence Award / Sustainable Curriculum Category / “4 + 13 = 17” Actions Born from the Depth of Understanding: Connecting the Oceans of Sustainability Education
Professor Jyh-Wei Shin (middle), Professor Hao-Ven Wang (right), and Assistant Professor Chung-Ching Huang (left) created the sustainability course “Whale Exploring” in Tainan, which combines local-based digital learning, marine conservation, and interdisciplinary teaching, responding to local environmental and social needs.
This project is led by Professor Jyh-Wei Shin and is jointly developed with Professor Hao-Ven Wang from the Department of Life Sciences and Assistant Professor Chung-Ching Huang from the College of Planning and Design. The team created the sustainability course “Whale Exploring” in Tainan, which combines local-based digital learning, marine conservation, and interdisciplinary teaching, responding to local environmental and social needs. Learning is centered on the Tainan coast and whale rescue sites. Students take part in field visits, surveys, and digital storytelling to learn from real-world situations and build problem-solving and action skills.
The course also uses digital tools such as augmented reality (AR) and generative AI. These tools help students explore and present local knowledge in new ways. Students also work with communities, research groups, and international partners, building a network for cross-field and global learning. The project began with marine conservation and has expanded into a broader model of sustainability education. It connects Quality Education (SDG4), Climate Action (SDG13), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG17). It shows how university courses can link local issues with global goals, and turn knowledge into action.
Distinction Award / Industry Co-creation Category / AI for Detecting Fraud in Import Declarations
Professor Cheng-Te Li (second from the right) of NCKU led a research team with aims to protect national revenue and border security, works with the WCO, KAIST, and customs agencies in multiple countries to develop an AI system for risk identification.
Customs agencies around the world handle large volumes of import declarations every day. However, inspection rates are often below 1%. This creates ongoing risks of tax evasion and smuggling. A research team at NCKU, led by Professor Cheng-Te Li, developed an AI system to address this issue. The project aims to protect national revenue and border security and works with the World Customs Organization (WCO), (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology) KAIST in South Korea, and customs agencies in multiple countries to develop an AI system for risk identification. The system uses real customs data to train AI models and is designed to work under conditions with very low inspection rates and limited labeled data. The model can identify high-risk transactions with high accuracy. International validation shows strong results. By inspecting only about 1% of transactions, the system can detect nearly 30% of high-risk cases and recover about 45% of potential lost tariff revenue. This greatly improves inspection efficiency. The research has been presented at leading international conferences, including ACM KDD and ACM CIKM. It has also received the Future Tech Award from National Science and Technology Council twice. The project is now an important global example of using AI in customs governance.
NCKU stated that it will continue to advance sustainability governance and interdisciplinary innovation, integrating teaching, research, and local engagement to expand its social impact and move toward a long-term vision of shared growth between the university and the city.
Provider:
NCKU News Center
Date:
2026-04-24
Click Num:
Share