The Ministry of Education carries out Scholarship Program for Overseas Study in Arts and Design (SPOSAD) to send talented students abroad every year. In 2020-2021, 27 students went abroad to study and intern at 22 institutes or companies situated in 9 countries across the globe which are the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Japan. The students will demonstrate what they have learnt from top design universities or firms around the world on a 5-day exhibition from November 9 to 13 at M4B of Taipei Huashan 1914 - Creative Park. The program has been established since 2005 to build international collaboration in arts and design and to foster young talents with international insights. Those who are selected will be studying abroad for a year under MOE's sponsorship on tuition fees and living expenses. As of this year, 342 students benefited from the program.

The students, from Digital Animation, Visual Communication Design, Product Design, and Fashion Design, shared their learning journey and the inspiration for creation on November 9 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 returning students all conquered the challenges from the pandemic and get used to a new way of learning switching between the online and the campus. At a time when the world recovers from the pandemic, the students finish their learning and bring back brilliant works. The following are some examples of the training results of the program.

Fashion Design - Li-Fan Hu from Fu Jen Catholic University studies at Royal College of Art, an institute of high reputation. In a campus supporting students to create works at free will, Hu challenges herself by taking digital tools as her media instead of the traditional calico. Her work is based on an attempt to visualize the image of "the air" surrounding one's body. Going through material experiments and color arrangements, she creates a collection exhibited in the venue. Digital tools also allow her to include the sound, the pitch, the lighting and the avatar's grooving in the work demonstration. It leads her fashion project to break the limit of traditionally physical creation, and offers the audiences more sensational experiences.

Digital Animation - This is his first time abroad for Shih-Chien Hsh from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Trained at Sheridan College's Digital Creature Animation program, Hsu focuses on the realistic style and high-tech rigging in animation. The alumni of this program have been a hit among the industries. On the industry day, Hsu's portfolio outstands among the peers and was awarded a scholarship from DreamWorks. He later also received an internship offer from Sony Pictures.

Visual Communication Design - When Chien-Yi Chen from National Kaohsiung Normal University studies at Swinburne University, direct interaction and collaboration are parts of the course training, which enables her to make and present proposals efficiently. As one of the students influenced by the pandemic, she is more resilient against challenges and pressure. Even learning remotely, she keeps on taking advanced courses to foster her extra skills. Her diligence earns her an intern position from Mad Carnival, a studio based in New Zealand. She, as an UI and graphic designer, joins a game project with the famous enterprise Snapchat. Her great design senses impress the employer a lot, who has already given her a return offer.

Product Design - Hao-Yi Wang from the National Taichung University of Science and Technology broadened his design ability and philosophy at ArtCenter College of Design. His project, TIP, dissolved the boundary between ashtrays and centerpieces from a design point of view and create a new multi-function container system. His installation art project translates the chaotic and randomness characteristic of time itself with an automatic tea set operated by Chua's Circuit (An electronic circuit that presents chaotic behavior). The two brilliant projects are now part of the ArtCenter Gallery collection.

Architecture and Landscape Design - Take a break year from National Cheng Kung University, Hsin-Tien get on board CRAB, an energetic studio, starting her one year internship. She joined in many projects with different scales in this year, from the museum cultural park to a house renovation, and furniture design! Hsin-Tien absorb like a sponge from these unique projects and improve her professional skills. The project “Live Museum” in India which Hsin-Tien had engaged in a lot were invited by Royal Academy of Art to participate in the exhibition with its presentation model.

More works and learning experiences from returning students of the year 2020-21 will be displayed and shared at the exhibition on November 9 - 13. 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 27 students and published a special issue for the public to read, promoting it to those who love design.