SDG17
Mission-Oriented Research Collaboration: NCKU Connects with Belgian Office Taipei and Leuven City Councillor
Written by NCKU Office of Internation Affairs & Image credit to NCKU News Center.
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) warmly welcomed a delegation on July 29, 2026, including Mr. Matthieu Branders, Director of the Belgian Office Taipei; Ms. Yu-Chun (Patty) Liao, City Councillor of Leuven, Belgium; and Ms. Doris Wu, Head of the Flemish Economic Section. Executive Vice President Shyy-Woei Chang led university-level representatives from the Office of International Affairs, Office of Research and Development, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing (AISSM), and College of Bioscience and Biotechnology to receive the delegation. The visit aimed to solidify NCKU's existing collaboration with top Belgian academic and research institutions—such as KU Leuven and imec—in semiconductors, microelectronics, and biomedicine, while elevating the partnership from traditional professor-to-professor (PI-to-PI) cooperation to a "mission-oriented" and "Cluster-to-Cluster" interdisciplinary strategic alliance.
Vice President Shyy-Woei Chang noted: "We aim to break through the ivory tower of academia and elevate our collaboration into a cluster-to-cluster model that integrates resources across colleges, industry, government, and academia. Through dedicated university funding, we intend to extend academic research and development from foundational studies (TRL 1–3) through to implementation phases with tangible industrial and societal impact (TRL 5–10), addressing global challenges such as net-zero carbon emissions, smart healthcare, cybersecurity, and advanced semiconductor technologies."
Leuven City Councillor Yu-Chun (Patty) Liao shared that Leuven and Tainan have been sister cities since 1993, and Leuven has been selected as the European Capital of Culture 2030. As one of Europe's oldest and most innovative universities, KU Leuven, along with imec—a global hub for semiconductor R&D—forms the core of Leuven's technology ecosystem. Councillor Liao emphasized the importance of substantive alignment at the department and research-group level, rather than collaboration that remains at the institutional level only. Furthermore, as European universities face budget adjustments, NCKU's international mobility and research funding initiatives supporting two-way scholar and student exchanges are attractive to top European research teams.
Mr. Matthieu Branders, Director of the Belgian Office Taipei, expressed strong support for deepening bilateral collaboration, emphasizing that it will further strengthen the long-term, trusted partnership between Taiwan and Belgium in cutting-edge R&D and critical talent cultivation.
During the meeting, NCKU showcased its robust R&D capabilities and impressive track record of collaboration. Between 2019 and 2026, NCKU and its Belgian partners co-authored 177 academic papers, and 58 students participated in overseas exchange or internship programs—including 38 project interns who conducted visits under the tripartite Dual PhD framework among NCKU's College of EECS, KU Leuven, and imec. NCKU's AISSM encompasses a complete ecosystem spanning materials, manufacturing, IC design, and advanced packaging, serving as a vital hub for industry-academia co-creation. The College of EECS demonstrated comprehensive hardware-software integration capabilities, collaborating with the industry on AI smart manufacturing while focusing on cybersecurity, hardware security, and AIoT smart campus applications. Meanwhile, the College of Bioscience and Biotechnology offers a highly international environment—with international students comprising 20% of its body—engaging in joint cross-border research on diverse, forward-looking domains such as cancer mechanisms, climate change, and smart agriculture/aquaculture.
To swiftly implement the consensus reached during the meeting, NCKU's Office of Research and Development and Office of International Affairs proposed concrete action plans. These include promoting the visiting scholar program to proactively invite Belgian experts to deliver lectures, engage in deep laboratory exchanges, and co-draft international research proposals. Moving forward, both sides aim to match research clusters around specific missions such as smart healthcare, chronic disease drug screening, cybersecurity, and next-generation semiconductors. Additionally, NCKU plans to deepen high-level talent cultivation and integrate scholarship opportunities—utilizing MOFA's Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarship, MOE's Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP), and NSTC's International Internship Pilot Program (IIPP)—alongside existing agreements to attract more outstanding young Belgian scholars to conduct research and exchange in Taiwan.
With its solid scientific capabilities and forward-looking global vision, National Cheng Kung University will continue to serve as a vital bridge linking Taiwan to Europe's premier technology ecosystem.
Provider: NCKU News Center
Date: 2026-08-03
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) warmly welcomed a delegation on July 29, 2026, including Mr. Matthieu Branders, Director of the Belgian Office Taipei; Ms. Yu-Chun (Patty) Liao, City Councillor of Leuven, Belgium; and Ms. Doris Wu, Head of the Flemish Economic Section. Executive Vice President Shyy-Woei Chang led university-level representatives from the Office of International Affairs, Office of Research and Development, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing (AISSM), and College of Bioscience and Biotechnology to receive the delegation. The visit aimed to solidify NCKU's existing collaboration with top Belgian academic and research institutions—such as KU Leuven and imec—in semiconductors, microelectronics, and biomedicine, while elevating the partnership from traditional professor-to-professor (PI-to-PI) cooperation to a "mission-oriented" and "Cluster-to-Cluster" interdisciplinary strategic alliance.
Vice President Shyy-Woei Chang noted: "We aim to break through the ivory tower of academia and elevate our collaboration into a cluster-to-cluster model that integrates resources across colleges, industry, government, and academia. Through dedicated university funding, we intend to extend academic research and development from foundational studies (TRL 1–3) through to implementation phases with tangible industrial and societal impact (TRL 5–10), addressing global challenges such as net-zero carbon emissions, smart healthcare, cybersecurity, and advanced semiconductor technologies."
Leuven City Councillor Yu-Chun (Patty) Liao shared that Leuven and Tainan have been sister cities since 1993, and Leuven has been selected as the European Capital of Culture 2030. As one of Europe's oldest and most innovative universities, KU Leuven, along with imec—a global hub for semiconductor R&D—forms the core of Leuven's technology ecosystem. Councillor Liao emphasized the importance of substantive alignment at the department and research-group level, rather than collaboration that remains at the institutional level only. Furthermore, as European universities face budget adjustments, NCKU's international mobility and research funding initiatives supporting two-way scholar and student exchanges are attractive to top European research teams.
Mr. Matthieu Branders, Director of the Belgian Office Taipei, expressed strong support for deepening bilateral collaboration, emphasizing that it will further strengthen the long-term, trusted partnership between Taiwan and Belgium in cutting-edge R&D and critical talent cultivation.
During the meeting, NCKU showcased its robust R&D capabilities and impressive track record of collaboration. Between 2019 and 2026, NCKU and its Belgian partners co-authored 177 academic papers, and 58 students participated in overseas exchange or internship programs—including 38 project interns who conducted visits under the tripartite Dual PhD framework among NCKU's College of EECS, KU Leuven, and imec. NCKU's AISSM encompasses a complete ecosystem spanning materials, manufacturing, IC design, and advanced packaging, serving as a vital hub for industry-academia co-creation. The College of EECS demonstrated comprehensive hardware-software integration capabilities, collaborating with the industry on AI smart manufacturing while focusing on cybersecurity, hardware security, and AIoT smart campus applications. Meanwhile, the College of Bioscience and Biotechnology offers a highly international environment—with international students comprising 20% of its body—engaging in joint cross-border research on diverse, forward-looking domains such as cancer mechanisms, climate change, and smart agriculture/aquaculture.
To swiftly implement the consensus reached during the meeting, NCKU's Office of Research and Development and Office of International Affairs proposed concrete action plans. These include promoting the visiting scholar program to proactively invite Belgian experts to deliver lectures, engage in deep laboratory exchanges, and co-draft international research proposals. Moving forward, both sides aim to match research clusters around specific missions such as smart healthcare, chronic disease drug screening, cybersecurity, and next-generation semiconductors. Additionally, NCKU plans to deepen high-level talent cultivation and integrate scholarship opportunities—utilizing MOFA's Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarship, MOE's Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP), and NSTC's International Internship Pilot Program (IIPP)—alongside existing agreements to attract more outstanding young Belgian scholars to conduct research and exchange in Taiwan.
With its solid scientific capabilities and forward-looking global vision, National Cheng Kung University will continue to serve as a vital bridge linking Taiwan to Europe's premier technology ecosystem.
Provider: NCKU News Center
Date: 2026-08-03
Executive Vice President Shyy-Woei Chang (Right), on behalf of NCKU, presents a gift to Mr. Matthieu Branders (Left), Director of the Belgian Office Taipei.
Ms. Yu-Chun (Patty) Liao, City Councillor of Leuven, Belgium, introduced the city of Leuven and highlighted potential opportunities for future collaboration.
NCKU welcomes Belgian delegation to solidify research foundations and elevate interdisciplinary strategic partnership
