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NCKU Industry-Academia Innovation, Showcasing Abundant Technological Capabilities with Southern Taiwan and Phoenix Platforms
The "NCKU Industry-Academia Innovation Day 2024 INNOVATION DEMO DAY" kicked off grandly during the 93rd anniversary celebration week, showcasing National Cheng Kung University’s (NCKU) remarkable achievements in research, industry-academia collaboration, and innovation. On November 7, NCKU held this event featuring over 60 technological R&D and innovation outcomes, presented by university research teams, start-up teams from the Southern Taiwan Science Park’s industry-academic platform, the Ministry of Education's U-Start innovation and entrepreneurship program, National Science Council's Seed and Excellence programs, and teams from the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Value Creation 2.0 and PRE Value Creation programs, NCKU's Innovation Dream Program, Phoenix Start-up Platform, Southern Taiwan Science Park Entrepreneurial Workshop, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Precision Health Industry Accelerator at NCKU.
The event took place at the Macronix Hall on the campus, attracting over 600 attendees, including off-campus guests, industry representatives, and students and faculty. NCKU President, Dr. Meng-Ru Shen, delivered the opening speech, emphasizing that the core of university education is innovation. He mentioned that universities need to nurture students who are brave enough to embrace challenges and become entrepreneurs who can thrive on the world stage.
The event also hosted an industry-academia innovation forum with discussions on "University-Industry Co-Creation and Sustainable Development." Guest speakers included Shiu-Chen Lin, Deputy Director of the Nanke Management Bureau, Zhi-Hao Qu, CFO of Taiwan Biotech Manufacturing Co., Hua-Zhe Liang, Chairman of the Mito Group, Ruo-Ren Xu, Founder and Chairman of Taiwan Electric, and Wei-Ren Hong, NCKU’s Industry-Academia Innovation Speaker. Former Minister of Science and Technology and Honorary Professor at National Taiwan University, Liang-Ji Chen, served as the moderator and highlighted the significant contributions of NCKU alumni to high-tech industries.
More than 60 research and innovation projects were on display, spanning fields like electrical and communication engineering, mechanical manufacturing, materials science, biomedical technology, energy and environment, management services, and cultural and creative design. Apart from the university's own research teams, start-up teams derived from the Southern Taiwan Science Park platform—including teams from Tatung University, Chung Hwa University of Science and Technology, and National Formosa University—also participated. Additionally, the NCKU Innovation Dream Program-funded early-stage start-up teams displayed their prototype results, while the Phoenix Start-up Platform, established with NCKU alumni, presented mature teams with well-developed business models.
The NCKU Innovation Dream Program, which was launched in 2018, supports early-stage campus start-up teams, and this year, 28 teams were selected to showcase their ideas and prototypes. Each team participated in an elevator pitch competition, presenting their innovations in three minutes, aiming to attract potential investors and demonstrate NCKU’s growing start-up potential.
Since its inception, the NCKU Innovation Dream Program has supported over 300 teams, awarded over NT$18 million in grants, and assisted 63 teams in obtaining more than NT$81 million in funding. Over the past seven years, the program has helped establish more than 2 new companies each year, with notable achievements in the biomedical, electrical and communication, cultural and creative, and management sectors.
Additionally, the Phoenix Start-up Platform, in collaboration with the NCKU Angel Investment Club, held a new start-up fundraising pitch event, inviting investors and business partners to explore early-stage investment opportunities. Five of the most promising "Golden Phoenix Start-up Teams" and two NCKU-recommended teams showcased their innovative products and business models, participating in networking sessions to attract investment.
From 2020 to 2023, NCKU’s Industry-Academia Innovation Center has facilitated industry-academia collaborations worth over NT$25.6 billion and technology transfers totaling nearly NT$1.2 billion, while nurturing 57 start-up companies. The Innovation Day during the anniversary celebrations provides an opportunity to showcase these outstanding achievements and explore potential collaborations, aiming to drive NCKU’s industry-academia partnership toward "co-creation and sustainability."
The event took place at the Macronix Hall on the campus, attracting over 600 attendees, including off-campus guests, industry representatives, and students and faculty. NCKU President, Dr. Meng-Ru Shen, delivered the opening speech, emphasizing that the core of university education is innovation. He mentioned that universities need to nurture students who are brave enough to embrace challenges and become entrepreneurs who can thrive on the world stage.
The event also hosted an industry-academia innovation forum with discussions on "University-Industry Co-Creation and Sustainable Development." Guest speakers included Shiu-Chen Lin, Deputy Director of the Nanke Management Bureau, Zhi-Hao Qu, CFO of Taiwan Biotech Manufacturing Co., Hua-Zhe Liang, Chairman of the Mito Group, Ruo-Ren Xu, Founder and Chairman of Taiwan Electric, and Wei-Ren Hong, NCKU’s Industry-Academia Innovation Speaker. Former Minister of Science and Technology and Honorary Professor at National Taiwan University, Liang-Ji Chen, served as the moderator and highlighted the significant contributions of NCKU alumni to high-tech industries.
More than 60 research and innovation projects were on display, spanning fields like electrical and communication engineering, mechanical manufacturing, materials science, biomedical technology, energy and environment, management services, and cultural and creative design. Apart from the university's own research teams, start-up teams derived from the Southern Taiwan Science Park platform—including teams from Tatung University, Chung Hwa University of Science and Technology, and National Formosa University—also participated. Additionally, the NCKU Innovation Dream Program-funded early-stage start-up teams displayed their prototype results, while the Phoenix Start-up Platform, established with NCKU alumni, presented mature teams with well-developed business models.
The NCKU Innovation Dream Program, which was launched in 2018, supports early-stage campus start-up teams, and this year, 28 teams were selected to showcase their ideas and prototypes. Each team participated in an elevator pitch competition, presenting their innovations in three minutes, aiming to attract potential investors and demonstrate NCKU’s growing start-up potential.
Since its inception, the NCKU Innovation Dream Program has supported over 300 teams, awarded over NT$18 million in grants, and assisted 63 teams in obtaining more than NT$81 million in funding. Over the past seven years, the program has helped establish more than 2 new companies each year, with notable achievements in the biomedical, electrical and communication, cultural and creative, and management sectors.
Additionally, the Phoenix Start-up Platform, in collaboration with the NCKU Angel Investment Club, held a new start-up fundraising pitch event, inviting investors and business partners to explore early-stage investment opportunities. Five of the most promising "Golden Phoenix Start-up Teams" and two NCKU-recommended teams showcased their innovative products and business models, participating in networking sessions to attract investment.
From 2020 to 2023, NCKU’s Industry-Academia Innovation Center has facilitated industry-academia collaborations worth over NT$25.6 billion and technology transfers totaling nearly NT$1.2 billion, while nurturing 57 start-up companies. The Innovation Day during the anniversary celebrations provides an opportunity to showcase these outstanding achievements and explore potential collaborations, aiming to drive NCKU’s industry-academia partnership toward "co-creation and sustainability."
The "NCKU Industry-Academia Innovation Day" grandly debuted on November 7 at the Wang Hong Hall, showcasing over 60 technological research and innovation results. A startup presentation was also held, demonstrating NCKU's leadership in connecting various resources and its strong ability to foster innovation and research results.
"The 'NCKU Industry-Academia Innovation Day' held during the 93rd anniversary celebration attracted over 600 attendees. The event showcased impressive technological research and innovation achievements across various fields, including electrical and communication engineering, mechanical manufacturing, material science, biotechnology and healthcare, energy and environment, management services, and cultural and creative design."
NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen emphasized in his opening speech that innovation is the core mission of universities. He expressed the hope that NCKU would hold a Demo Day every year, aiming to cultivate students with the spirit of courage to take risks and overcome challenges, preparing them to become innovative entrepreneurs on the global stage.
On the same day, the "Industry-Academia Innovation Forum" was held, where distinguished guests from industry, government, academia, and research gathered to discuss university-industry collaboration and sustainable development.
(From left to right: Liang-Ming Whang, Director of NCKU Industry-Academia Innovation Center; Wei-Ren Hong, NCKU Industry-Academia Innovation Lecture; Hua-Zhe Liang, Chairman of Maolion Group; Zhi-Hao Qu, CFO of Taiwan Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Co.; Liang-Ji Chen, Former Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology; Xiu-Zhen Lin, Deputy Director of Southern Taiwan Science Park Management Bureau; Ruo-Ren Xu, Founder and Chairman of Taiwan Electric Technology; Wei-Zhe Zhuang, Vice President of NCKU)
Former Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Liang-Ji Chen(left), a distinguished NCKU alumnus from 2017 and renowned as the "King of Technology Transfer," expressed his amazement at the achievements NCKU has made in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.
