▎Global Outlook

Prof. Chiapei Chou, Executive Vice President of NTU, led a delegation to the UK to work out an academic exchange agreement in early October. The trip bore fruit, resulting in a partnership agreement with the University of St Andrews.

Prof. Chiapei Chou completed the signing of a partner university and academic cooperation agreement with her counterpart at the University of St Andrews in Scotland on October 5. A total of 3 agreements were signed at the time, including a university-level Memorandum of Understanding, a university-level student exchange agreement, and an agreement promoting the Taiwan Huayu BEST Program. Unlike NTU’s general student exchange program, which normally allows 2 to 5 students as the annual quota, the agreement between NTU and the University of St Andrews is open to 10 students per year, demonstrating the enthusiasm and high expectations on both sides for further cooperation.

The University of St Andrews is NTU’s 22nd partner university located in the United Kingdom, and the 637th worldwide. The university is a prestigious institution of higher education, with a history of 610 years. It is the alma mater of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

An important element of the visit was the planning and implementation of the Huayu BEST Program, which was discussed at length with the key players of the program at the University of St Andrews, including Prof. Gregory Lee, Founding Professor of Chinese Studies, and Prof. Nicki Hitchcott, Head of the School of Modern Languages. The signing ceremony was attended by the Master of the United College and Deputy Principal, Prof. Lorna Milne, as the representative of the University of St Andrews.

After the signing of the agreements, the NTU delegation discovered during their conversation with Prof. Milne that both universities were interested in such matters as dual degree programs, triple degree programs, seed grants to faculty, exchange internship programs for graduate students working in laboratories, as well as possible collaborations for teacher training. The University of St Andrews promised to form a delegation to visit NTU to discuss possible future collaborations in these areas.