Talent training is at the core of education, and also the key to national development and increased international competitiveness. NCU’s SPROUT project aims at training and equipping students with the key competencies for the new generation. Accomplishment status of the goal is detailed as follows: In terms of augmenting the foundation skills, the University achieved an overall enrollment rate of 83.91% for the logical and computational thinking course in the second semester of the 2018 academic year, representing an increase of 0.77% from the previous semester. Over 80% of the University’s students have passed the English proficiency test, meaning an improvement of their English ability and increased employment competitiveness. Students’ international perspective and social practice ability are also enhanced through the internship scheme in cooperation with more than 70 Yunus Social Business Centre networks around the world. In line with the ideaNCU initiative, the University keeps reconstructing the teaching space; 28 creative venues have been constructed, driving colleges and departments to develop an instructional innovation model.
Continue the ideaNCU initiative to reconstruct the teaching space; 28 creative venues have been set up.
Enrollment rate of the multidisciplinary social participation program has increased by 61%, incubating 7 student teams that have successfully contended for about $1.54 million project funds from public and private sectors as well as a number of contest awards. The customized teacher support system has helped a total of 22 projects pass the Teaching Practice Research Program, gaining a total subsidy of more than $6.5 million; this represents a passing rate of 61.11%, which is the top two among the first-rate universities. Another 3 projects have passed the NEEMEC Program, outnumbering all other universities in Taiwan, and more than $10 million project funds have been gained for further promotion of instructional innovation. The student teams have won: the Platinum Award and Golden Medal Award of the Taiwan Innotech Expo, the second prize of the DEF CON CTF hacker conference as the Taiwan representative, the Silver Medal of the most influential Asia Pacific contest – 2019 APICTA Awards as the Taiwan representative, etc.
2019 DEF CON CTF Hacker ConferenceWon the second prize and being greeted by President Tsai Ing-wen
2019 APICTA Awards Silver Medal in the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance contest
Moreover, international postgraduate students have grown to 12.7% of all postgraduate students in the University; foreign Ph.D. students have even accounted for 31.5% of all Ph.D. students. This shows the University’s robust capacity in international admission. On the other hand, empirical analysis is conducted on the institutional research data to realize the concept of admitting talents from multiple sources. Also, universitywide resources are integrated to create the peace-of-mind study support system and the scholarship and grant platform, actively assisting the financially deprived students.
The Counseling Center offers self inquiry workshop per students’ demand, improving their self awareness and understanding.
A student under the peace-of-mind study support scheme was selected an outstanding student and won the distinguished leader scholarship.
NCU draws on the solid academic capacity to develop its advantages and characteristics. Statistics show that by 2019, the University had the top two number of “Nature” and “Science” papers nationwide and the top two percentage of HiCi papers (1.23%) nationwide; it also had the top three paper quality nationwide in the past five years as indicated by the “H-5 index”. These reveal that NCU has maintained its academic research capacity and quality. The University has developed research cooperation throughout Asia, Europe, America, and Australia. According to the U.S. News & World Report 2020, the University’s ranking in the Best Global Universities has jumped to the third place in Taiwan, with the “international cooperation” index consistently standing at the first place nationwide for six years in a row. In the Global Views Monthly’s 2019 best university rankings, the University has also topped the nation with its high percentage (39.6%) of “international co-authorship rate”.
The University’s cooperation with Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) for the 2018 Pyeong Chang Winter Olympics meteorological observation was given the national contribution award by South Korea. It has also set up the “Center for Environmental Monitoring and Technology” in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, taken part in the 7-SEAS international observation and experiments of Thailand, and launched the US-Taiwan GLOBE Program. Even the International Schools of Atmospheric Radar (ISAR) has set up a permanent institute in NCU. All these have demonstrated the University’s international academic influence. Furthermore, the University has actively established an academia-industry link to create R&D values. Vibrasee Scanner, the non-invasive optical vibration inspection technology, developed for the Parkinson’s disease has attracted the world renowned Michael J. Fox Foundation’s interest for cooperation. R&D was done to develop an IoT system for the key chain-like food allergen check kit, which may also be applied to other food safety inspection. A cooperation agreement was signed with TiSPACE INC to jointly research and develop a scientific payload system and launch the CubeSat.
Vibrasee Scanner
Initial detection and treatment of Parkinson's disease
2019 TRANS biotechnology innovation award
2018 TTA Singularity Asian Pacific Entrepreneurship Competition
Food allergen check kit
Granted 21 million from The Ministry of Science and Technology and received collaboration interest from the US Great mall, CVS, Japan’s Gilico as well as Australian manufacturers.
The “Sustainable Earth Environment” academy has established the first critical zone observatory network in Taiwan; the mobile magnetic detection system was given the 2019 Futuretech Breakthrough Award and won the Golden Medal in the Taiwan Innotech Expo. In the area of “Intelligent System Wellness Technology”, the Taiwan-US-UK “Health Innovative Cities Alliance” was formed and the world’s first US FDA-approved wearable medical device was used to implement the atrial fibrillation screening program. FESTO’s integrated system was introduced to accomplish the launch of the smart factory for establishing a robot technology center in collaboration with Delta Electronics.
NCU developed the critical zone observatory network in Taiwan. The campus site NCU Atmospheric and Hydrological Observatory (NAHOs) has been connected with the Critical Zone Exploration Network (CZEN). NCU College of Earth Sciences conducted collaborative activities with the University of Illinois, USA.
The mobile magnetic detection system “Magnetic Detection Vehicle”: Professor Chien-Chih Chen from the Department of Earth Sciences led the team in the research and development of the mobile magnetic exploration system – “Magnetic Detection Vehicle”, which overcomes the limitation of magnetic detection in the past. Multiple magnetic sensor arrays are used to record the 3D spatial magnetic field, capable of detecting the distribution and position of underground metal pipelines rapidly and accurately. For example, by scanning the underground metal pipeline distribution with the detection vehicle before road excavation work, accidental breakage of the life support system such as the gas pipelines and power lines can be prevented, and thus avoiding major public safety disaster. Moreover, this system can be applied to engineering work for scanning underground metal structures, military detection for anti-terrorism purpose, or disaster relief detection after a burial disaster and the post-disaster evaluation, etc. that makes a contribution to the improvement of social security. This system has won the 2019 Futuretech Breakthrough Award and the Golden Medal in the Taiwan Innotech Expo.
NCU, Central Weather Bureau, and Taoyuan City Government have entered into a tripartite agreement for cooperation to construct the “Taoyuan Marine Meteorological Observation Network” along the coastline of Taoyuan. The application of the high-frequency marine radar system extends the marine meteorological observation from “points” to “surfaces”. The crucial task of Taoyuan marine meteorological observation work will be undertaken by using the state-of-the-art oceanographic remote sensing technology, which enables real-time mastery of changes in the coastal environment, and hence protection of people’s life and property.
Advancing into the Arctic: Cooperate with Nicolaus Copernicus University of Poland for observation research at the arctic laboratory station to integrate the study with the CZO research of Taiwan which is located at the earthquake zone and the tropical typhoon zone. This provides powerful scientific foundation for policy decisions required for alleviating the climate change.
The College of Health Sciences & Technology team cooperated with Iowa State University of the US and Lancaster University of the UK for the establishment of the tripartite Health Innovation Cities Alliance of Taiwan, USA, and UK. The alliance aims to establish a globally connected field for community healthcare practice and develop the standard international smart healthcare model for the future.
Executing the project entitled “Development of large-scale systematic AF screening program in the community” by using the world’s first US FDA-approved ECG wristband with ambulatory electrocardiography compatible analysis platform developed by our team, which have already reached over 10 thousand people.
NCU has signed a cooperation agreement for “Intelligent Manufacturing Talent Joint Training Center” with Festo, a German leading industrial automation company, and conducted the unveiling ceremony on October 23rd, 2019. This is the first establishment in Taiwan that combines education, training, and research functions for the augmentation and implementation of localized smart manufacturing talent training.
NCU co-established the “NCU-Delta Cooperative Robot Technology Center” with Delta Electronics, an international famous industrial automation company. Talent training for robot technology is strengthened and implemented by industry-university collaboration to provide high-quality talents for transformation and upgrade industrial automation.
On top of the enhancement of academic research capacity and development of professional knowledge and skills, NCU is also concerned with the fulfillment of its social responsibility. NCU established the first social responsibility alliance of regional universities, connecting local governments’ integrated resources to develop a tightly knitted action network. The USR Annual Report of NCU was published to disseminate the accomplishments. The University also plays the role of a local think tank by establishing the Coastal Environmental Monitoring Technology Center and creating a database to provide empirical data that serve as the basis for rational communication and conversation between the government and the civil society.
For the “Reading in Atayal” mini-course under the University’s USR program, students went to the Xikou tribe to interview the tribal elders Batu Watan and Tasaw Watan and film the Atayal bow weaving culture.
The University’s USR program “Ecology, Living, and Economy of Taoyuan Ocean” has induced the first local government-run coastal environment monitoring technology center, effectively applying the professional resources and improving the government’s administration in promoting matters related to coastal protection and conservation.