NPUST enjoys friendly relationships with the countries that fall under the umbrella of Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. The university is also working to build strong relationships with Taiwanese businesses and local industries operating in these countries and provide them with substantive technological assistance.

Recently, NPUST President Chang-Hsien Tai led a delegation comprising OIA Dean Pomin Li, R&D Director Yo-Chia Chen, Personnel Director Lin Cheng-Hsiao and several other university representatives on a visit to Thailand and Malaysia to conduct a week-long industry-academia exchange during which a number of MOUs with educational institutions and businesses were signed.

The first stop on the tour was the Thai Society of Agricultural Engineering (TSAE) to meet with Deputy CEO Dares Kittiyopas. The society, which has a wealth of members from the industrial sector, and NPUST have formulated a plan to create more diversified internship opportunities for students and pursue cross-domain education objectives.

The delegation from NPUST later visited Siam Snail Co., LTD, which is a biotech company established by a professor from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University. The College of Biology professor spent 30 years researching methods to produce high-quality, mass produced snail mucus for application in skin care products and cosmeceuticals. Now, his company is being looked at as a model of incubated start-ups worth emulating.

Another highly important item on the agenda was to visit the Thai – Taiwan Business Association and put ink to an agreement which will lead to increased internship opportunities for students at NPUST. These opportunities will no longer be limited by the pairing of departments of study with specific areas within industry; but rather will offer much more flexibility. NPUST’s president Chang Hsien Tai and the other delegates also paid a visit to King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) and met with the vice-chancellor and the dean of the Faculty of Agriculture to discuss future bilateral cooperation whereby students and faculty from both universities will be able to take part in exchanges and joint research projects.

The next stop of the tour was in the neighboring country of Malaysia where President Tai and Dean Jik-Chang Leong were invited to take part in and speak at the 2018 Taiwan-Malaysia University Presidents Forum. The other members of the delegation made their way to Universiti Putra Malaysia to discuss issues related to the Overseas R&D Promotion Center which was established through the cooperation of the two universities and which will soon be providing farmers across Malaysia with services and technological assistance.

Another very important item on the itinerary in Malaysia was the attendance of the unveiling ceremony for a new research base jointly established by NPUST and Baolai International SDN. The research facility will be used to train technical personnel with professional skills for the cultivation of arowana fish and the management of leisure farms. The base will also serve as a model facility which can be replicated in the future in other areas of Malaysia and overseas. 

The time in Malaysia ended with a press conference for the Federation of Alumni Association of Taiwan Universities, Malaysia. During the conference attention was given to the agriculture, forestry, fishing and livestock results exhibition that will be held in March of 2019 in Batu Pahat. In the afternoon, the delegates visited Tan Chong & Sons Motor company, which is an agent for the French car manufacturer, Renault, as well as for the Malaysian branch of Nissan Motors. The NPUST representatives met with the company’s executives for discussions, giving focus to cooperation related to agricultural machinery and agricultural development in the Penang area of northern Malaysia. The delegates also took advantage of their time in the area to visit the Treeletrik Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur and discuss cooperation and exchange with respect to R&D, marketing and personnel training for electric vehicles and scooters. 

The goal of the trip to Malaysia was to engage in substantial and concrete dialog with the business sector with the aim of extending NPUSTs plans for industry-academic exchange. Hopes are that the efforts made will not only lead to more comprehensive academic enterprises but to allow for students to gain experience and practical knowhow, so that when they graduate, they will be extremely competitive in the job market.