For students, teachers, and researchers interested in expanding their international experience and building their global visibility, an exciting new initiative through Taipei Medical University has now taken shape.

In a presentation held October 31^st, speakers for the Academic Alliance had a chance to introduce plans for the program and shared experiences about building international research collaborations. Organized by the Office of Global Engagement, the presentation was the second in an ongoing lecture and workshop series on internationalizing education.

Held under the umbrella of the Higher Education Sprout Project 2019, TMU Academic Alliances will work to build an interconnected network of academic partnerships with institutions from around the world. Through connecting with other world-class universities, these global partnerships will facilitate international research and academic cooperation and raise TMU’s international profile.

A higher profile for the school means a chance for students to raise their international visibility as well. Presently, TMU has alliance agreements with six other high profile institutions that cover a broad range of medical fields: with John’s Hopkins University for women’s medicine, the University of Southern California for Pharmacy, Imperial College London for thoracic medicine, the University of Lille for neuroscience and tissue engineering, Hokkaido University for drug discovery, and Case Western University for translational research.

Speaking at the event, TMU President Chien-Huang Lin emphasized that alliances made possible by the OGE will benefit not only teachers and researchers, but students as well. President Lin said that students can improve themselves through international experiences even as short as two months.

Benefits from alliances can flow in both directions. While TMU students can take advantage short-term international opportunities abroad, the OGE has organized short-term course and research oriented programs and cultural exchange experiences for international students visiting TMU.

Other speakers discussed the importance of international networks and how institutional level partnerships can grow from simple connections at a personal level. The relationship between TMU and the University of Lille, for example, was one that began through informal one-to-one chats that “all started in my garden,” recounted Dr. Thierry Burnouf. Now students are already taking advantage of the links between the two institutions. “It’s really beneficial,” according to Dr. Burnouf. “Now one plus one equals three.”

Another speaker discussed his experiences with TMU’s first successful Alliance partner, Case Western University. Liam, who visited Case Western in before a formalized alliance was in place, talked about the importance of hard work and communication to solving problems in a different cultural environment.

“When you face challenges you can always get help,” said Liam, who during his time in Ohio “realized there was lots to collaborate on, … lots of exciting development” for the next round of researchers to get involved with – researchers who will have even more access to support services through the OGE.

As more Alliance partnerships are formalized (President Lin plans to lead a visit to Europe for talks next year) the number of options for international academic collaborations will continue to grow. Visit the OGE in person or online to find out more about gaining a sense of global perspective, having valuable international experiences, and building a network of empowering connections that will boost your academic career.