▎TEACHING & LEARNING

In November 2025, National Taiwan University (NTU) launched the International PhD Co-Advising Project, a strategic initiative designed to further internationalize doctoral education through structured global supervision partnerships. Building on NTU’s longstanding commitment to research excellence and international engagement, the project was devised in response to the growing demand for cross-border collaboration, academic mobility, and globally grounded doctoral training. By formalizing co-advising arrangements at the institutional level, NTU reinforces its leadership in internationally connected, research-driven doctoral education.

The project is aimed to offer integrated international learning and research environments for doctoral students while fostering sustained academic collaborations between NTU and partner institutions worldwide. Through joint supervision, doctoral candidates are exposed to complementary expertise, diverse research cultures, and expanded professional networks. Each co-advising arrangement typically brings together an NTU doctoral student, a primary adviser at NTU, and a co-adviser based at an overseas university or research institute, facilitating a continuing process of academic exchange throughout the doctoral student’s academic journey.

The co-advising framework combines remote joint supervision with in-person research engagement at the partner institutions. This hybrid model allows students to immerse themselves in international research environments while remaining fully embedded in their home doctoral programs at NTU. These components are strategically integrated into students’ research trajectories to promote scholarly collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development of co-authored research outputs.

The first call for proposals, launched in 2026, attracted strong interest across a wide range of disciplines, reflecting faculty readiness and growing institutional momentum for deeper international collaboration. More than 40 projects were funded, spanning a diversity of research themes and involving partner institutions in many regions around the world. This breadth highlights NTU’s capacity to serve as a vital connector between regional and global research communities.

Through the International PhD Co-Advising Project, NTU aims to demonstrate how structured international supervision can enhance research development, promote cross-cultural academic exchange, and better prepare doctoral graduates for careers in an increasingly interconnected global research landscape. As the initiative moves forward, NTU will continue to position itself as a vital hub for cultivating the next generation of globally engaged scholars.