NCKU Partners with Michigan State University at APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting Forum

The 11th APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting took place in Detroit from the 15th to the 17th. Taiwan was represented by Minister of Transportation Kwo-Tsai Wang, marking the first high-level APEC transportation meeting in six years. Following the conclusion of the ministerial meeting, the U.S. Midwest Taiwan-US Business Forum, co-organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago and the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, was held on the 18th.

The forum, themed "Implementing APEC Transportation Ministerial Meeting Goals: Innovation, Sustainability, and Mobility," featured Minister Kwo-Tsai Wang's sharing of Taiwan's strategies and policies for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, focusing on vehicle technology development, progress in electric vehicles, and usage environments. In a joint effort witnessed by both Taiwanese and American representatives, NCKU's Professor Huey-Jen Su, representing President Meng-Ru Shen, and Michigan State University (MSU)'s Professor Satish Udpa, signed a memorandum of academic cooperation. This marks the beginning of collaboration between the two historically responsible higher education institutions in areas such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, AI technology, quantum computing, satellites, and high-tech supply chains.

Over the past seventy years, NCKU and Purdue University in the American Midwest have established a profound partnership. As a land-grant university, Purdue University shoulders the national responsibility for agricultural and mechanical development. With the promotion of American aid policies, Purdue University has assisted in the comprehensive enhancement of teaching and research capacity, leading to NCKU's transformation into an engine driving academic and industrial development in Taiwan. Today, NCKU stands as a highly respected and influential research-oriented comprehensive university.

MSU, founded in 1855, is the first land-grant university in the United States. Renowned not only in agriculture but also in physics, biology, and other fields, it stands as one of the leading research universities in the Midwest, alongside Purdue University. Based on the shared values of democracy, human rights, and free-market principles between Taiwan and the United States, the intended cooperation agreement between NCKU and MSU will foster close academic exchanges. This collaboration will not only advance research and talent development in high-tech fields such as semiconductors and electric vehicles but also promote comprehensive cooperation in various scientific, humanities, and social fields. It is expected to lead to sustainable development in future industry-academia partnerships and academic collaborations.