9th Taiwan–Thailand Forum Paves the Way for Further Innovation in Higher Education
The 9th Taiwan–Thailand Higher Education Forum was held on August 28, 2024, at the Mandarin Hotel in Bangkok, with the theme Transforming Higher Education: Collaborative Innovations for Global Competence. It was jointly organized by the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), and Thailand's Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin.
Dr. Chang Chin-Lung 張金龍, the president of NPUST, led a delegation of 70 university presidents and directors of international affairs from 23 universities in Taiwan to take part, and they were joined by Dr. Luksmon Smansin, Director of the International Affairs Division of the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and more than 230 personnel representing 44 universities in Thailand. The purpose of the forum was to facilitate in-depth discussions on how to strengthen in higher education related innovation and cooperation between Taiwan and Thailand.
Dr. Luksmon Smansin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Udomvit Chaisakulkiet, the president of Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin, and Dr. Chang Chin-Lung, the president of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology spoke at the opening ceremony. They each emphasized the significance of collaboration between Taiwan and Thailand in higher education fields and expressed hope that the forum would boost mutual exchanges and generate innovative ideas and practices.
Government and private sector leaders gave four keynote speeches in which addressed social innovation, industry-academia collaboration, and sustainable partnerships. In the afternoon, participants engaged in group discussions on collaborative course development, soft power exchanges, and sustainable university-industry partnerships. In addition, sixteen university leaders from Thailand and ten university leaders from Taiwan, representing sixteen universities, took part in a roundtable meeting and discussed their respective experiences and potential directions for future cooperation.
On August 29, Dr. Yeh Ping-Cheng 葉丙成, Political Deputy Minister of Education in Taiwan; Dr. Yang Yu-Huei楊玉惠, Director General of the Department of Technological and Vocational Education; Dr. Chang Chin-Lung, and Ms. Hsueh Yi-han 薛懿含, Second Secretary of the Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand attended a meeting at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) to discuss opportunities for cooperation. The delegation was welcomed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suvit Saetia, president of the university, and other university leaders.
Political Deputy Minister Yeh Ping-Cheng spoke about Taiwan's world-class expertise in semiconductor research and said that Taiwan hopes to strengthen cooperation in this field. The discussions on the importance of student exchanges included a presentation on Taiwan's International Industrial Talents Education Special Program (the INTENSE Program) and subsidies available for Thai students to study and work in Taiwan. After the meeting, the delegation was given a tour of KMUTT's advanced AI, robotics, and 3D printing laboratories, and research facilities.
The 9th Taiwan–Thailand Higher Education Forum advanced dialogue and collaboration between higher education institutions in Taiwan and in Thailand, strengthening already established relationships and paving the way for innovative initiatives and joint projects that will help enhance global competence and competitiveness. Participants said afterwards that it gave them a deeper understanding of each other's educational landscapes and strengthened their commitment to continued cooperation, to ensure sustained growth and advancement of higher education in Taiwan and in Thailand.