NCUE is proactively intensifying its partnerships with local industries, with a specific emphasis on bolstering interdisciplinary collaboration among neighboring educational institutions, especially strategic alliances with regional universities and industry stakeholders. These collaborative efforts provide NCUE with valuable insights into industry needs, facilitate the adaptation of the school’s research focus, and offer practical hands-on experiences. Consequently, NCUE is well-equipped to strategize and implement cross-institutional, interdisciplinary, and startup-oriented collaborative projects. This approach substantially amplifies the capacity and impact of NCUE’s industry-academia partnership initiatives. The relevant implementation strategies are as follows:

1. Actively participate in various industry-academia collaboration projects (Table 1), assisting businesses in enhancing their competitiveness and fostering collaboration between the industrial and academic sectors.

2. Foster collaboration between NCUE’s faculty and businesses to develop new products and technologies. Actively seek government research and development subsidies and resources.

3. Provide technical training courses for businesses and support students in internships and competitions to cultivate professionals in the fields of green energy and smart manufacturing.

4. Through regional cross-institutional alliance mechanisms, jointly promote specialized knowledge in smart manufacturing, green energy, and carbon reduction. Offer entrepreneurship and business development courses to facilitate the commercialization of research and development outcomes.

5. Organize intellectual property and innovation entrepreneurship cultivation events. Provide expertise in patent protection for smart manufacturing and research and development outcomes. Promote the research and development achievements of campus-derived enterprises.

Key Achievements:

NCUE collaborated with National Chung Hsing University, Hungkuang University, Tunghai University, National Chiayi University, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, National Taipei University of Technology, and National Chin-Yi University of Technology on the Central Taiwan Cross-Institutional Integrated Research and Industrialization Platform Project, aiming to foster expertise in smart manufacturing and green energy reduction, offer entrepreneurial and business incubation programs to promote industrial innovation, and facilitate the commercialization of research and development outcomes.

1. Assisted 53 businesses by engaging 54 experts and scholars, along with 108 students, to support these businesses in their industry and technology upgrades from 2020 to 2022. This effort contributes to strengthening the operational and research and development capabilities of Taiwan’s small and medium-sized manufacturing factories. It also enhanced the expandability of smart manufacturing technologies required by various industries.

2. Provided assistance to its faculty in jointly developing new products and technologies with businesses. From 2020 to 2022, there were 17 cases of new product and technology development, resulting in two patent applications from two different businesses through industry-academia collaboration.

3. Actively assisted faculty and businesses in applying for government subsidies (local or central). In 2022, a subsidy of NT$739,500 was secured.

4. Conducted technical and talent training courses in response to the needs of businesses in industrial areas. In 2022, 9 large-scale technical and talent training sessions were organized in the Fuxing and Taichung industrial areas.

5. Offered substantial support and guidance to its faculty for establishing start-ups rooted in their patented research and development work in 2022. Professor Tsung-Chi Lin from the Department of Biology received approval from the National Science and Technology Council for the 2022 Taiwan Germination Program (MOST Germination Program), with approved funding totaling NT$7,600,000.

6. Organized a seminar focusing on intellectual property, innovation, entrepreneurship incubation, along with an exhibition showcasing the research and development achievements of NCUE. This event served to provide faculty members from NCUE and other universities and colleges nationwide with a profound understanding of intellectual property, patent strategies, and patent protection for campus-derived enterprises. Additionally, it aimed for the promotion of research and development outcomes.

Table 1. Outcomes of National Science and Technology Council Projects,

Non-National Science and Technology Council Projects,

and Industry-Academia Projects executed by NCUE’s faculty members in 2022