Taipei to Stockholm: TMU Advances Sweden Ties in Research and Healthcare

Through two recent delegation visits from Sweden, TMU is deepening its established ties with Swedish partners and advancing collaboration in research, student mobility, health data development, hospital resilience, and medical education.

On April 22, TMU welcomed a delegation from KTH Royal Institute of Technology for an exchange focused on student mobility, research internship opportunities, international PhD mobility, and future research collaboration. The discussion highlighted opportunities to expand cooperation involving TMU’s College of Pharmacy and College of Biomedical Engineering, two fields where TMU continues to build strong international momentum.

The visiting delegation included Professor Christina Moberg, Professor Emerita of Organic Chemistry at KTH’s School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, and Yu-Lin Chen, Second Education Secretary from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education.

The visit built upon a strong foundation between TMU and KTH. The two universities signed a university-level memorandum of understanding in 2021, and collaboration has continued through student exchange, faculty connections, and joint research initiatives.

A key example is Professor Yves Hsieh from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, who has maintained long-standing academic links with KTH. He is also affiliated with KTH’s Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Health, and is connected to its glycoscience research community. His work focuses on carbohydrate engineering and carbohydrate-processing enzymes.

These faculty links reflect shared strengths in glycoscience, pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical chemistry, carbohydrate engineering, glycoprotein synthesis, and carbohydrate-based drug discovery. Since 2020, researchers affiliated with TMU and KTH have co-authored more than 34 publications, demonstrating sustained academic collaboration across chemistry, biomedical sciences, engineering, pharmacology, and medicine.

TMU and Taipei Medical University Hospital further welcomed a Swedish delegation from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the Swedish Trade & Invest Council (Business Sweden) on May 20 for discussions related to health data research, hospital resilience, and medical simulation education.

Key participants included Ms. Ziba Zareie, Deputy Director-General at Sweden’s Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; Mr. Johan Stålhammar from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; and Mr. Emil Akander, senior regional representative of Business Sweden, together with Swedish officials and Taiwan-based industry representatives.

The program opened with remarks from TMUH Superintendent Chun-Ming Shih, Dean of the Office of Global Engagement Jane C-J Chao, and Ms. Ziba Zareie. During the exchange, TMU’s Graduate Institute of Data Science presented current work in health data research, while TMUH shared its experience in resilient healthcare development, hospital operations, and clinical innovation.

The delegation also visited the Center for Education in Medical Simulation (CEMS), where they learned more about TMU’s simulation-based clinical training environment and medical education facilities. The visit showcased how TMU integrates education, technology, and clinical practice to prepare healthcare professionals for increasingly complex medical environments.

Together, the April and May visits mark another step in TMU’s growing engagement with Sweden. From academic research and doctoral mobility to health data, hospital resilience, and simulation-based medical education, these exchanges demonstrate how TMU is advancing practical and forward-looking partnerships grounded in shared priorities, while broadening Taiwan–Sweden dialogue in medicine and healthcare development.