To establish international collaboration in arts and design and to cultivate young talents in the fields, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has carried out MOE Scholarship Program for Overseas Study in Arts and Design(SPOSAD) since 2005. Talented students, under MOE's sponsorship of tuition fees and living expenses, are sent for overseas study every year. The program sent 21 students for overseas study or internship at 18 institutes or companies situated in 8 countries across the globe which are the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Denmark in 2020. The students will demonstrate what they have learnt from top design universities or firms around the world on a 5-day exhibition from 13 to 17 October at M4B of Taipei Huashan 1914 - Creative Park.

The students, from Digital Media, Visual Communication Design, Product Design, and Fashion Design, shared their learning journey and the inspiration for creation on the opening day. Theme talks will be arranged during the exhibition period. An online gallery is also set up for people who are not able to visit the exhibition. The audience could also watch the press conference and the theme talks online in time.

The following are some examples of the training results of the program of 2020.

Fashion Design - During his training at Parsons School of Design, Hsiao-Mo Chen of Fu Jen Catholic University interviewed with people of autism to imagine each social character as geometries like circle, triangle, etc. He developed a series of garments, implying a reflection on whether people need to shape themselves into a specific shape in order to fit into the established social framework. This collection is nominated for CFDA Design for Social Justice in 2021.

Digital Media - During her internship, Yu-I Chen from National Taiwan University of Arts took part in the production of TV series Starting with Hope, based on the stories of 6 patients against depression. Each episode, made of different art styles and soundtracks, will soon be broadcasted on TV and online platforms. It becomes meaningful for animators, who show social care while pursuing aesthetic creativity.

Visual Communication Design - Human to Human, a work of Syuan-Yun Huang from National Yunlin University of Science and Technology during her training at Design School Kolding, is an audio platform. Recorded stories were told and uploaded by LEBTQ+ community suffering discrimination. Each story was named by a gender stereotype. When listening through the speaker, the listener could feel the vocal tensions from those discriminated and thus create compassion. The work is nominated in 2021 Zlin Design Week in Czech Republic and also invited to posted on Distributed Design, a global website based in Spain.  

Product Design - Chung Minyun from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology went to study Product Design at the College for Creative Studies. Through keen observation, experimentation and playfulness, she produced a project rooted in her passion for animals, "MOUNT" which allows dogs to enjoy their humping and encourages dog owners to see the mounting behavior positively. This project drew the attention of the classic Italian car company. The company favored her uniqueness and creativity and so she successfully became the company's first Taiwanese designer. Currently, she is cooperating with designers from Brazil, India, Italy, and the United States on many product developments and mass production projects.

Architecture and Landscape Design

While study in University College London the Bio-Integrated Design program, Sheng-Han devoted himself to research in the mechanism of nature. How the natural plants growing, reacting to the environment change and how this mechanism can reproduce or apply to the structure design or the material use in Architecture are the core value of his study. A biomaterial with high Hydrophilicity and drainage and the possibility of using a calcified coral as a building material, Sheng-Han expect the research results be able to make progress on the biomaterial application in Architecture and create a more harmonious living environment.

More works and learning experiences from returning students of the year 2020 will be displayed and shared at the exhibition on October 13 - 17. The public is welcome to come and to learn about the stories of students. At the same time, MOE also collected the learning results of 21 students and published a special issue for the public to read, promoting it to those who love design.