NCKU launches joint master degree program to initiate mobility for regional talents

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Tainan, Taiwan, November 11, 2016

In response to Taiwan government’s New Southbound Policy, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) is committed to serving as the major international education hub in Asia, initiating a joint master degree program to facilitate international student mobility.

University of Malaya (UM), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and NCKU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) November 11 that formalizes the relationship among the five universities to initiate mobility for regional talents.

The MoU is intended to facilitate collaboration among the five universities in research and training programs aimed at enhancing the intra-region mobility and seeking to engage broad and diverse audiences and address issues of global significance.

An MoU signing ceremony was held before the opening of 2016 Presidents' Forum of Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU Presidents' Forum) which is a collaboration initiated by the presidents of universities in Southeast Asia and Taiwan since 2003.

Dr. Ir. Kadarsah Suryadi, Rector of ITB, Dr. Rofina Yasmin Othman, Associate Vice-Chancellor of University of Malaya, Dr. Datuk Mohd Harun Abdullah,
Vice-Chancellor of UMS, Dr. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Professor of IIT Bombay, and Dr. Huey-Jen Jenny Su, President of NCKU on behalf of their respective institutions signed the MOU.

President Su said, “What we already discussed among the five partner universities is that we will begin with the very important issues specifically they will be around sustainable energy, technology or policy related concerns.”

We will identify the candidate students together and they will be coming from different countries, said Su. For every specific semester, they could either stay at their home institute or they will spend time in the other partner university, she added.

For the design of the courses, Su indicated that during the last semester, the students will be invited with sponsorship coming back to NCKU’s research park right next to the Taiwan Southern Science Park.

She noted, “The experimental implementation as well as the mentorship from the various angel funds would be available so they can take their particular half year to realize their project or have the prototype being developed and designed in the particular facility.”

“In a way we’d like to see the courses would be combining with the educational stratification as well as serving as a platform to kick off some potential entrepreneurship or some startup companies,” she continued.

According to Prof. Yueh-Min Huang, Vice President for International Affairs in NCKU, the joint master degree program named SMART- SATU Mobility Action for Regional Talents- will provide funding for students in the regions to study, train, and work in the future.

Huang also explained that students will receive a full scholarship for a master-level international study program which will run by at least 3 SATU member universities located in different countries.

In total, SATU Presidents' Forum has approximately 140 member universities in the region of Southeast and South Asia including Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan.
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Provider: NCKU News
Date: 2016/11/11