Written by  NCKU Office of Internation Affairs.Image credit to NCKU News Center.
 

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), France, signed the NCKU–UGA Collaborative Research Cluster Agreement on the afternoon of October 5, 2026. NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen and UGA President Yassine Lakhnech signed the agreement on behalf of the two universities, formally establishing a Cluster-to-Cluster collaboration mechanism to foster closer connections between research groups across disciplines and borders. Following the signing ceremony, the two universities held the Strategic Partnership Meeting to exchange views on priority areas for collaboration, connections among research teams, and mechanisms for advancing future initiatives, injecting new momentum into Taiwan–France research collaboration.
 

NCKU and UGA recently completed the signing of university-level agreements for dual master’s and doctoral degree programs, further expanding their collaboration in international talent development and higher education. Building on this foundation, the newly signed Collaborative Research Cluster Agreement provides an important framework for deepening research collaboration between the two universities. It encourages the development of closer interdisciplinary and cross-border research partnerships based on shared global challenges and research priorities. By leveraging their respective research strengths and expertise, the two universities will facilitate connections among research teams and explore opportunities for joint research, the application of research outcomes, and innovation-driven collaboration, with the goal of translating their combined research capabilities into tangible outcomes and greater social impact.
 

NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen and UGA President Yassine Lakhnech signed the agreement on behalf of the two universities.
 

Building on a Longstanding Friendship to Advance a Sustainable Taiwan–France Strategic Partnership
 

NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen stated that the signing of the NCKU–UGA Collaborative Research Cluster Agreement marks a significant step forward in the partnership between the two universities, moving beyond dialogue and exchange toward concrete action. Looking ahead, the two institutions will focus on four key areas—energy, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and smart healthcare—leveraging NCKU’s strengths in engineering, science, medicine, artificial intelligence, digital health, and industry-academia collaboration, together with UGA’s outstanding research capabilities and extensive international collaboration experience. The partnership will promote joint research, doctoral co-supervision, faculty and student exchanges, shared research platforms, and research demonstration projects.
 

President Shen particularly highlighted the importance of further connecting the clinical and translational research capabilities of National Cheng Kung University Hospital with the universities’ research strengths, enabling research outcomes to move from the laboratory toward real-world clinical applications. Through these efforts, the partnership will not only strengthen research and talent development but also create tangible impact for Taiwan, France, and the international community. He emphasized that today’s signing marks only the beginning of the partnership, with its true value lying in the two universities’ continued commitment and joint efforts to deepen collaboration and build a long-term, high-impact strategic partnership.
 

UGA President Yassine Lakhnech stated that, in the face of global challenges transcending national borders—including technological transformation, climate change, demographic shifts, and the transformation of the global economic system—universities have a responsibility to shape the future through knowledge and science. The signing of the Collaborative Research Cluster Agreement represents a strategic choice grounded in the strong foundation of cooperation and complementary strengths shared by the two institutions. Through a Cluster-to-Cluster model, NCKU and UGA will focus on four key areas: smart and computational healthcare, energy, cybersecurity, and semiconductors. The partnership will connect research communities and innovation ecosystems, while promoting researcher mobility, joint research, shared platforms, and talent development.
 

President Lakhnech emphasized that partnerships should not stop at the signing of documents, but must be brought to life through concrete action. Moving forward, the two universities will deepen their collaboration through tangible outcomes, including student exchanges, co-authored publications, funded research projects, and other joint research achievements, ensuring that scientific research can be further translated into meaningful societal impact.
 

The group photo.
 

The Bureau Français de Taipei (BFT) also welcomed and congratulated the two universities on the signing of the agreement, noting that“the signing of this partnership between NCKU and UGA demonstrates the vitality and depth of the scientific and technological bonds uniting France and Taiwan. By bridging Grenoble’s world-class innovation ecosystem with Tainan’s academic and technological excellence, this agreement does more than just advance research— it contributes to strengthening our technological sovereignty in critical fields like semiconductor, cybersecurity, energy and health. Backed by a substantial mutual financial commitment, this strategic agreement ensures the long-term viability and concrete industrial application of our joint scientific research.”
 

The Cluster-to-Cluster approach is designed to connect complementary expertise and resources while creating a sustainable framework for long-term collaboration.
 

Four Research Clusters Focus on Critical Technologies and Global Challenges
 

The Strategic Partnership Meeting held following the signing ceremony focused on translating the partnership into concrete initiatives. Representatives from both universities engaged in in-depth discussions on high-potential areas including energy, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and smart health, with participating research clusters and teams presenting their research strengths and future directions.
 

In recent years, NCKU has actively promoted the internationalization of its interdisciplinary research cluster model, integrating research capabilities across colleges and disciplines to establish mission-oriented research partnerships with international partners. The Cluster-to-Cluster approach is designed to connect complementary expertise and resources while creating a sustainable framework for long-term collaboration.
 

The meeting also featured discussions on innovation impact and NCKU’s collaboration with industry, highlighting how the university extends research outcomes into industry–academia partnerships. By connecting academic research, innovation ecosystems, and industry networks, NCKU and UGA will explore opportunities to translate research outcomes into real-world applications and further expand the tangible impact of international research collaboration.
 

NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen and UGA President Yassine Lakhnech exchanging gifts.
 

Leveraging Complementary Strengths to Create Research with Global Impact
 

Located in Grenoble, one of France’s major hubs for research and innovation, Université Grenoble Alpes has long developed strengths in interdisciplinary research and built an extensive network of international research partnerships. Through the integration of diverse research capabilities within its research clusters, UGA actively promotes interdisciplinary research and large-scale research initiatives.
 

NCKU, meanwhile, has developed strong research capabilities in areas including semiconductors, energy, cybersecurity and smart health. By establishing a Cluster-to-Cluster collaboration model, the two universities aim to leverage the complementary strengths of Taiwan and France in research, talent development, and industry linkages, fostering research outcomes with greater international impact and contributing to solutions for today’s societal challenges.
 

Looking ahead, NCKU will continue to pursue its vision of “transforming knowledge into social impact” by leveraging international strategic partnerships to integrate interdisciplinary research capabilities and address major global challenges and emerging technologies. Through these efforts, the university seeks to translate research outcomes into innovative solutions that respond to global challenges and societal needs.
 

The signing of the NCKU-UGA Collaborative Research Cluster Agreement not only deepens the longstanding friendship and partnership between NCKU and UGA, but also marks a new stage of collaboration—one that is more long-term, strategic, and globally impactful—as the two universities work together to advance research and innovation between Taiwan and France.