Participants in the Taiwan–Austria Higher Education Forum 1

A delegation from Taiwan visited Austria from April 27 to 30 in response to an invitation from   Austria’s Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research奧地利科研部to take part in the 4th Taiwan–Austria Higher Education Forum in Vienna on April 29. The eleven-member delegation comprised representatives of FICHET – the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan, and six universities: National Chi Nan University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taichung University of Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, and Taipei Medical University. Dr. Elisa Hsiang-Yueh Wang 王湘月, Director of the Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vienna, accompanied the delegation during the visit.

Prof. Liu Suan-Yung 劉玄詠, Taiwan’s Representative in Austria and Head of Mission at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Austria, hosted a welcome dinner for the delegation’s arrival on the day it arrived. The distinguished guests included representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalization (OeAD).

The Higher Education Forum brought together nearly 50 participants, including: representatives of more than 20 universities and institutions, with representatives from Austrian universities, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research, the OeAD, and the Taiwanese delegation. The forum opened with remarks from Professor Wu Cheng-Chih 吳正己, Chair of FICHET, and President of National Taiwan Normal University, who stressed the importance of building long-term partnerships between institutions. Jakob Calice, managing director of the OeAD, then addressed the forum, speaking highly about the value of international academic cooperation, and Representative Liu Suan-Yung and an official from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research also made opening remarks.

The forum included a series of one-on-one meetings between Taiwanese and Austrian university leaders, focusing on joint research opportunities, student and faculty exchanges, and collaborative programs. Discussions such as these serve the development of formal partnerships and future collaborations.

In addition to participating in the forum, the delegation visited FH Campus Wien, Austria's largest University of Applied Sciences, and engaged in in-depth exchanges with university staff and toured its state-of-the-art facilities. This visit provided valuable insight into Austria’s strengths in applied sciences and professional vocational education, particularly in the fields of engineering, health sciences, and social work.

The delegation’s visit to Austria was marked by a spirit of collegiality and mutual interest in strengthening cross-cultural academic ties. It fostered mutual professional understanding and the Higher Education Forum laid the groundwork for furthering academic collaboration and significantly strengthening the ties between institutions of higher education in Taiwan and those in Austria.