BFT Delegation Visits NCKU Aiming to Deepen Taiwan-France Scientific Research, Industry-Academia Cooperation, and International Talent Cultivation
Written by NCKU Office of Internation Affairs & Image credit to NCKU News Center.
On the afternoon of Monday, July 27, 2026, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) hosted a visiting delegation led by Dr. Pauline Ravinet, Attachée for Science & University Cooperation of the French Office in Taipei (Bureau Français de Taipei, BFT). Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on Taiwan-France academic exchanges, the Cluster-to-Cluster research framework, and future industry-academia implementation, joining hands to propel the Taiwan-France scientific research partnership toward a new milestone.
NCKU Executive Vice President Shyy-Woei Chang (right) presents a gift to Dr. Pauline Ravinet (left), Attachée for Science & University Cooperation at the Bureau Français de Taipei, symbolizing the deep friendship and academic exchange between NCKU and France.
During his opening remarks, NCKU Executive Vice President Shyy-Woei Chang extended a warm welcome to the delegation, including Dr. Pauline Ravinet, Mr. Airy Quilleré (University Cooperation Attaché), Ms. Clémence Gasquet (Science and Innovation Officer), and Ms. Sasha Ting (Deputy Science and University Attaché). Executive Vice President Chang highlighted that Taiwan-France exchanges have yielded remarkable results in recent years. NCKU has established deep collaboration with its key French partner, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), and is actively promoting dual-degree programs and a "Cluster-to-Cluster" research cooperation model. He particularly emphasized that, leveraging its long-term strengths in tech industry chains and biomedical fields, NCKU serves as an indispensable key hub for industry-academia-research collaboration. This hub helps foreign partner universities precisely align with Taiwan's cutting-edge industrial resources to build a win-win international industry-academia innovation ecosystem. Looking ahead, NCKU hopes to expand this cooperation framework beyond university-level collaboration to include national-level research institutes and industrial partners in both Taiwan and France.
In response to Executive Vice President Chang's welcome, Dr. Pauline Ravinet, Attachée for Science & University Cooperation at BFT, expressed her strong agreement and gratitude. She noted that the momentum of collaboration between NCKU and France, as well as between BFT and southern Taiwan, is exceptionally strong. She particularly highlighted that even though BFT is located in Taipei, it deeply senses and listens to the vibrant pulse of technology in southern Taiwan, which is undoubtedly a critical hub for driving science and industrial development today. She expressed high hopes for deepening cooperation between NCKU and top French universities like UGA. Mr. Airy Quilleré, University Cooperation Attaché, added that as the demand for cooperation in higher education, academic research, and technology grows between Taiwan and France, BFT has expanded its team with dedicated roles to actively interface with French university resources and promote student mobility and academic collaboration programs. Moving forward, the team will fully support bilateral cooperation, build upon existing foundations, and join hands with NCKU to elevate Taiwan-France industry-academia and technological collaboration to new heights.
Grounded in Scientific Research Mechanisms and Industry-Academia Translation to Build a Comprehensive Taiwan-France International Platform
During the university-level meeting, NCKU departments demonstrated comprehensive mechanisms for international cooperation. Prof. Wen-Tai Chiu, Vice President for International Affairs, reviewed NCKU's fruitful achievements with French partners in joint publications, student exchanges, and academic research. Future efforts will focus on key areas such as computational health, energy, cybersecurity, and semiconductors to lay a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation. Ms. Cindy Su, CEO for Global Engagement, presented a concrete proposal for the "2028 Taiwan-France Science and Technology Conference" (STC), scheduled for Spring 2028, aiming to foster deep dialogue through domain forums and industrial visits. Dist. Prof. Liang-Ming Whang, Director General for Innovation Headquarters, presented the one-stop IP translation and NCKU-Corporate Joint Research Center Platform, emphasizing strong support for the industrialization and commercial application of Taiwan-France advanced scientific research outcomes.
Dist. Prof. Jen-Sue Chen, Associate Dean of the Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing at NCKU, stated that NCKU hopes to combine Taiwan and France's strengths in semiconductors and silicon photonics to break through AI computing bottlenecks and cultivate international talent.
Complementing Strengths to Focus on Smart Healthcare and Silicon Photonics: Aiming to Jointly Overcome Bottlenecks in Next-Gen Chips and Frontier Technology
Regarding domain-specific research collaborations, Prof. Peng-Chan Lin, Vice Superintendent for National Cheng Kung University Hospital, noted that NCKU possesses comprehensive clinical medical resources and high-quality databases, serving as an optimal validation ground for smart healthcare. Our future plans include aligning with national programs in both Taiwan and France to develop smart healthcare technologies, while continuing to promote rare disease research and clinical applications. Building on semiconductor advantages, Dist. Prof. Jen-Sue Chen, Associate Dean of the Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing, highlighted NCKU's location at the core of the Southern Taiwan Semiconductor Corridor, featuring strengths in compound semiconductors and packaging design. NCKU aims to combine these strengths with French advantages in basic sciences to jointly overcome optoelectronic interconnection and thermal management bottlenecks in AI and high-performance computing, while cultivating international talent.
Deepening Trustworthy AI and Climate-Resilient Aquaculture: Demonstrating NCKU's Scientific Research Momentum and Global Sustainable Impact
Next, in cybersecurity and advanced AI technology, Prof. S. Felix Wu, Dean of the College of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, demonstrated NCKU's deep software-hardware integration capabilities in cybersecurity and its smart campus testbed. Plans involve collaborating with French academic and industrial institutions to develop secure AI models, focusing on edge AI privacy protection, combating misinformation, and trustworthy AI. Finally, in climate resilience and biotech aquaculture, Dist. Prof. Han-Ching Wang of the Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences and Director of the International Center for Advanced Shrimp Aquaculture highlighted NCKU's two World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Reference Laboratories and specific pathogen-free (SPF) black tiger shrimp breeding advantages. NCKU looks forward to cross-border collaboration with French academic and industry partners to advance climate-resistant shrimp genetic breeding, antibiotic-free insect protein feed, and AI smart recirculating aquaculture systems, collectively driving momentum for global food security and sustainable development.
The delegation from the French Office in Taipei and the NCKU team engaged in lively and in-depth discussions spanning cutting-edge semiconductors, cybersecurity, advanced medicine, climate resilience, and energy transition, sketching a new blueprint for international scientific collaboration.
As the initial university-level meeting concluded, the BFT delegation and NCKU academic experts held vibrant and constructive discussions. Both parties agreed that Taiwan-France academic cooperation has officially entered a comprehensive phase of precision alignment and concrete implementation. Moving forward, beyond deepening innovation incubation platform links and talent mobility, both sides plan to showcase the social and environmental impact of academic research through lectures and workshops, anticipating fruitful multinational scientific and industry-academia cooperation outcomes over the next two years.
Breaking Single-Point Academic Ties to Build a Task-Oriented Cross-Sector Ecosystem
Following the university-level meeting, NCKU hosted parallel sessions bringing together scholars from various domains to map out cooperation blueprints for four strategic research clusters. First, Prof. Chin-Lung Yang, Associate Vice President for International Affairs, outlined the progress of dual-degree programs and research cluster collaborations between NCKU and UGA, which will enhance international mobility and research cooperation mechanisms to lay a firm foundation for a long-term sustainable partnership. Regarding macro-level international strategy, Prof. Chia-Yih Wang, Associate Vice President for Research & Development, introduced NCKU's active promotion of the "Cluster-to-Cluster" multinational cooperation framework. He noted that this model breaks away from traditional single-point academic links to build a task-oriented bilateral ecosystem that maximizes complementary strengths. Plans are set to extend this framework to corporations, research institutes, and government bodies, fostering cross-sector connections and guiding teams to secure long-term external resources for sustainable development.
In the parallel session, Prof. Peng-Chan Lin presented computational health and AI medicine, aiming to integrate UGA's physiology research with NCKU's AI data technology to focus on chronic disease prevention and precision medicine. Dist. Prof. Jen-Sue Chen shared plans to integrate the strengths of both institutions in electronic ICs and photonic ICs to co-develop high-efficiency heat dissipation materials and next-generation chip technology. Prof. S. Felix Wu, Dean of the College of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Engineering, discussed privacy protection, legal regulations, and social impacts of AI technology, looking forward to establishing a cross-border trusted technical framework. Lastly, Chair Prof. Hsi-Sheng Teng, Director of the Center for Resilience and Intelligence on Sustainable Energy Research (RiSER), expressed hopes to combine UGA's frontier scientific research and large-scale analytical facilities with NCKU's strengths in material development, system integration, and industry-academia validation, connecting the full innovation chain from basic science to commercial implementation to accelerate 2050 net-zero carbon and sustainable energy goals.
In the concurrent parallel session, Chair Prof. Chuan-Pu Liu, Vice President for Research & Development, emphasized research cultivation, proposing joint calls for research proposals and joint publications between NCKU and French research institutions. Through joint faculty appointments, visiting international scholars, and joint research projects, NCKU aims to further deepen sustainable higher education and frontier academic partnerships between Taiwan and France. Prof. Shu-Ying Wang, Director of the Study Abroad Division at the Office of International Affairs, proposed strengthening existing student exchanges and implementing joint supervision mechanisms for master's and doctoral students as well as dual-degree programs through research cooperation, hoping to launch more initiatives with BFT to boost bilateral student mobility.
Representatives from NCKU and the French Office in Taipei (BFT) pose for a group photo before engaging in deep discussions on Taiwan-France cooperation projects. Front row, left to right: Ms. Clémence Gasquet (Science and Innovation Officer), Ms. Sasha Ting (Deputy Science and University Attaché), Mr. Airy Quilleré (University Cooperation Attaché), and Dr. Pauline Ravinet (Attachée for Science & University Cooperation).
The discussions concluded successfully amidst enthusiastic exchanges across various domains. Regarding cooperation projects with French partners, the French Office in Taipei welcomed further exchanges and collaboration between NCKU and French research institutions, committing to serve as an active bridge of communication to create a new chapter in Taiwan-France cooperation.
Provider:
NCKU News Center
Date:
2026-07-31
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