TMU Strengthens Academic Ties with Europe

She joined a delegation led by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) to participate in the 4th Taiwan-France-Belgium Higher Education Forum. In addition to attending the forum, the delegation also joined the “European Day” in Brussels and visited several leading academic and research institutions.

The visit produced fruitful outcomes, including the renewal of TMU’s agreement with the University of Lille and the exploration of potential partnerships with top Belgian institutions such as KU Leuven and the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC).

On June 17, the Taiwan-France Higher Education Forum was held at the University of Lille. The opening ceremony featured prominent leaders, including former French Minister of Higher Education Sylvie Retailleau, University of Lille Vice President Nil Toulouse, INALCO President Jean-François Huchet, Campus France Deputy Director Béatrice Khaiat, Taiwan’s Ambassador to France Pei-Chih Hao, FICHET Chairman Cheng-Chih Wu, and Joyce Yu-Jiuan Lee, Director General of the Department of International and Cross-Strait Education. Representatives from 14 universities exchanged insights across four thematic sessions. Representing TMU, EVP Chang delivered a speech titled “Industry-Academic Cooperation—A Tool to Train Future Generations of Talents,” highlighting TMU’s integration of biomedical research, industry collaboration, and interdisciplinary talent development. That afternoon, TMU and the University of Lille renewed their bilateral agreement, reinforcing long-term cooperation in education and research.

On June 18, the delegation participated in “European Day” in Brussels, hosted by France Universités. The event opened with remarks of the Senior Liaison Officer, also Head of Brussels Office Carle Bonafous-Murat and Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belgium and the EU, Roy Chun Lee. Experts from the European Commission’s DG EAC and DG RTD introduced key EU research and education programs, including Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe.

The Taiwan-Belgium Higher Education Roundtable followed on June 19, hosted by UCLouvain. Discussions centered on international mobility and academic collaboration strategies, with FICHET and the Academy for Research and Higher Education (ARES) presenting their respective higher education frameworks.

On June 20, the delegation visited KU Leuven in Flanders, where they engaged in strategic discussions with three vice presidents and incoming President Séverine Vermeire—the university’s first female president in 600 years. Dialogue focused on collaboration in humanities, engineering, law, and medicine. In the afternoon, the delegation visited Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), a world leader in microelectronics and nanotechnology. IMEC collaborates with leading global universities and offers PhD scholarships; several students from Taiwan are currently conducting research there.

That same day, Taiwan’s Education Division in Belgium hosted a recruitment session for Taiwanese students, presenting opportunities under the Yushan Youth and Yushan Scholar Programs. TMU introduced its academic and research strengths to attract top talent.

Through this visit, TMU reaffirmed its commitment to global engagement—renewing strategic partnerships, connecting to EU research networks, and cultivating future-ready talent. Leveraging its integrated approach across education, research, healthcare, and industry, TMU is steadily progressing toward its goal of becoming a world-class institution in health sciences and innovation.