SDG17
NCKU Launches the 2nd “NCKU Sustainability Gold Award” to Recognize Outstanding Organizations
The Smart Sustainability Industry-Academia Alliance (AISAA) at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) hosted the second “NCKU Sustainability Gold Award” ceremony on May 12 at the university, recognizing outstanding enterprises and organizations for their exceptional performance in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). The awards highlight concrete achievements across Taiwan in advancing sustainable governance and the net-zero transition.
In response to global trends in net-zero carbon emissions and sustainability governance, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) supported the establishment of the “NCKU Sustainable FinTech Industry-Academia Alliance” in 2023 to assist enterprises in pursuing both digital transformation and low-carbon development. Following three years of robust development, the alliance was officially renamed AISAA in 2026, expanding its service scope and deepening the integration of AI with net-zero sustainability applications to promote industrial digitalization and sustainable management in central and southern Taiwan.
NCKU has long been a pioneer in promoting sustainable development. In addition to ranking second in Taiwan in the 2025 QS World University Sustainability Rankings, the university also received the prestigious National Sustainability Award (Education Category) from the Executive Yuan, demonstrating its strong institutional governance. To fulfill its social responsibility, NCKU established the “NCKU Sustainability Gold Award” through AISAA, implementing a transparent, fair, and impartial evaluation system to encourage ESG practices among enterprises and institutions. The award ceremony and accompanying benchmark case-sharing sessions also foster the exchange of valuable sustainability governance experiences.
This year’s awards are divided into four categories: the Environmental Gold Award, Social Gold Award, Governance Gold Award, and the highest honor, the NCKU Phoenix Sustainability Gold Award. A judging panel of 15 experts from industry, government, academia, and research sectors conducted a rigorous two-stage evaluation based on public disclosures, sustainability reports, and real-world performance to select representative ESG benchmark organizations.
A total of four enterprises and institutions were recognized in this second edition, spanning healthcare, social welfare, and the electronics industry. The Environmental Gold Award was presented to Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in recognition of its outstanding achievements in green healthcare, energy conservation, and sustainable medical practices. The Social Gold Award was jointly awarded to Shinda Industry Co., Ltd. and the Down Syndrome Foundation R.O.C., with the former recognized for excellence in product safety and customer privacy protection, and the latter for achievements in employee care, diversity and inclusion, and social engagement. The Governance Gold Award went to Lei-Zhe Industrial Co., Ltd., acknowledging its mature systems in corporate governance, information disclosure, and sustainability risk management. The highest honor, the NCKU Phoenix Sustainability Gold Award, was left vacant this year after careful evaluation, reflecting the award’s uncompromisingly high standards for sustainability excellence.
The ceremony invited Tainan City Deputy Mayor Shih-ssu Wang and NCKU Vice President Shih-wei Chang to deliver opening remarks. Deputy Mayor Wang stated that, with the accelerating global shift toward ESG and net-zero emissions, sustainability has become a critical issue across all industries. The Tainan City Government has actively promoted its “2050 Tainan Net-Zero Pathway” in recent years to help enterprises strengthen their sustainability resilience and international competitiveness. She expressed hope that the award would inspire more companies to invest in sustainability initiatives, driving green economic growth and industrial upgrading.
Vice President Chang emphasized that SDGs and ESG frameworks have evolved from voluntary initiatives into mandatory practical standards and actions, serving as key indicators of organizational competitiveness. NCKU hopes to establish cross-industry sustainability benchmarks through the public recognition of these outstanding organizations, further encouraging Taiwanese enterprises to integrate ESG into their core strategies to enhance global competitiveness and industrial resilience.
AISAA Convener and Director of the FinTech Business Innovation Research Center, Yu-hsiang Huang, stated that the award was established to encourage enterprises—especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—to develop tailored sustainability governance pathways based on their specific operational conditions. He noted that, amid accelerating global decarbonization mandates and carbon tariffs, early adoption of sustainability governance systems can significantly enhance market resilience and global supply chain competitiveness. The alliance will continue integrating NCKU’s interdisciplinary research resources to provide smart, sustainable solutions and promote greater ESG engagement through this award framework.
During the ceremony, the judges also shared their observations and recommendations, noting that participating organizations generally demonstrated strong sustainability planning and execution capabilities. Even non-winning companies received constructive feedback to help improve their future ESG practices. Award recipients also shared their sustainability journeys and challenges: the Down Syndrome Foundation highlighted its comprehensive lifelong care support network, Shinda Industry discussed transforming its corporate image through low-carbon innovation, and Lei-Zhe Industrial explained how it embedded ESG into daily operations through robust governance and risk management systems.
The closing keynote speech was delivered by Chin-tsang Ho, Political Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, under the theme “Building a New Model of Sustainable and Resilient Taiwanese Enterprises.” He emphasized that, amid rapidly changing global conditions, enterprises must shift from passive emissions reduction to proactively strengthening their competitiveness within green supply chains. The government will continue supporting businesses through tailored policies and resources to enhance green investment capacity and sustainability resilience.
AISAA concluded by stating that it will continue organizing the NCKU Sustainability Gold Award, integrating resources from industry, government, academia, and research to encourage more enterprises to engage in ESG practices. It also aims to connect financial resources to help outstanding companies access green financing and sustainable financial support, jointly building a resilient and inclusive sustainability ecosystem.
In response to global trends in net-zero carbon emissions and sustainability governance, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) supported the establishment of the “NCKU Sustainable FinTech Industry-Academia Alliance” in 2023 to assist enterprises in pursuing both digital transformation and low-carbon development. Following three years of robust development, the alliance was officially renamed AISAA in 2026, expanding its service scope and deepening the integration of AI with net-zero sustainability applications to promote industrial digitalization and sustainable management in central and southern Taiwan.
NCKU has long been a pioneer in promoting sustainable development. In addition to ranking second in Taiwan in the 2025 QS World University Sustainability Rankings, the university also received the prestigious National Sustainability Award (Education Category) from the Executive Yuan, demonstrating its strong institutional governance. To fulfill its social responsibility, NCKU established the “NCKU Sustainability Gold Award” through AISAA, implementing a transparent, fair, and impartial evaluation system to encourage ESG practices among enterprises and institutions. The award ceremony and accompanying benchmark case-sharing sessions also foster the exchange of valuable sustainability governance experiences.
This year’s awards are divided into four categories: the Environmental Gold Award, Social Gold Award, Governance Gold Award, and the highest honor, the NCKU Phoenix Sustainability Gold Award. A judging panel of 15 experts from industry, government, academia, and research sectors conducted a rigorous two-stage evaluation based on public disclosures, sustainability reports, and real-world performance to select representative ESG benchmark organizations.
A total of four enterprises and institutions were recognized in this second edition, spanning healthcare, social welfare, and the electronics industry. The Environmental Gold Award was presented to Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in recognition of its outstanding achievements in green healthcare, energy conservation, and sustainable medical practices. The Social Gold Award was jointly awarded to Shinda Industry Co., Ltd. and the Down Syndrome Foundation R.O.C., with the former recognized for excellence in product safety and customer privacy protection, and the latter for achievements in employee care, diversity and inclusion, and social engagement. The Governance Gold Award went to Lei-Zhe Industrial Co., Ltd., acknowledging its mature systems in corporate governance, information disclosure, and sustainability risk management. The highest honor, the NCKU Phoenix Sustainability Gold Award, was left vacant this year after careful evaluation, reflecting the award’s uncompromisingly high standards for sustainability excellence.
The ceremony invited Tainan City Deputy Mayor Shih-ssu Wang and NCKU Vice President Shih-wei Chang to deliver opening remarks. Deputy Mayor Wang stated that, with the accelerating global shift toward ESG and net-zero emissions, sustainability has become a critical issue across all industries. The Tainan City Government has actively promoted its “2050 Tainan Net-Zero Pathway” in recent years to help enterprises strengthen their sustainability resilience and international competitiveness. She expressed hope that the award would inspire more companies to invest in sustainability initiatives, driving green economic growth and industrial upgrading.
Vice President Chang emphasized that SDGs and ESG frameworks have evolved from voluntary initiatives into mandatory practical standards and actions, serving as key indicators of organizational competitiveness. NCKU hopes to establish cross-industry sustainability benchmarks through the public recognition of these outstanding organizations, further encouraging Taiwanese enterprises to integrate ESG into their core strategies to enhance global competitiveness and industrial resilience.
AISAA Convener and Director of the FinTech Business Innovation Research Center, Yu-hsiang Huang, stated that the award was established to encourage enterprises—especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—to develop tailored sustainability governance pathways based on their specific operational conditions. He noted that, amid accelerating global decarbonization mandates and carbon tariffs, early adoption of sustainability governance systems can significantly enhance market resilience and global supply chain competitiveness. The alliance will continue integrating NCKU’s interdisciplinary research resources to provide smart, sustainable solutions and promote greater ESG engagement through this award framework.
During the ceremony, the judges also shared their observations and recommendations, noting that participating organizations generally demonstrated strong sustainability planning and execution capabilities. Even non-winning companies received constructive feedback to help improve their future ESG practices. Award recipients also shared their sustainability journeys and challenges: the Down Syndrome Foundation highlighted its comprehensive lifelong care support network, Shinda Industry discussed transforming its corporate image through low-carbon innovation, and Lei-Zhe Industrial explained how it embedded ESG into daily operations through robust governance and risk management systems.
The closing keynote speech was delivered by Chin-tsang Ho, Political Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, under the theme “Building a New Model of Sustainable and Resilient Taiwanese Enterprises.” He emphasized that, amid rapidly changing global conditions, enterprises must shift from passive emissions reduction to proactively strengthening their competitiveness within green supply chains. The government will continue supporting businesses through tailored policies and resources to enhance green investment capacity and sustainability resilience.
AISAA concluded by stating that it will continue organizing the NCKU Sustainability Gold Award, integrating resources from industry, government, academia, and research to encourage more enterprises to engage in ESG practices. It also aims to connect financial resources to help outstanding companies access green financing and sustainable financial support, jointly building a resilient and inclusive sustainability ecosystem.
The Smart Sustainability Industry-Academia Alliance (AISAA) at NCKU hosted the second “NCKU Sustainability Gold Award” ceremony on May 12 at the university.
Group photo of recipients of the 2nd “NCKU Sustainability Gold Award.”
Wang Hsiao-Wen, Chairman of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC), Tainan City Government, delivered remarks.
Shih-Wei Chang, Vice President of NCKU, delivered remarks.
Yu-Hsiang Huang, Convener of AISAA and Director of the FinTech Business Innovation Research Center, delivered remarks.
The ceremony concluded with a keynote speech delivered by Jin-Cang Ho, Political Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, titled “Building a New Landscape for Sustainable and Resilient Taiwanese Enterprises.”
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