Forging Eastern European partnerships: NTU receives delegations from Kosovo and Lithuania

On April 17, a cross-party parliamentary delegation from Kosovo visited National Taiwan University (NTU), marking the first formal engagement between NTU and Kosovo. The delegation was warmly received by NTU Associate Vice President for International Affairs, Prof. Kuo-Hsin Yang, and other Office of International Affairs staff. Both sides discussed potential collaborations on various fronts, including student exchanges, scholarship programs, and online academic conferences, laying the foundation for Taiwan-Kosovo higher education cooperation.

Also at the receiving end was Chia-Yo Kuo, the President of the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association and a proud NTU alumnus, who has extensive experience in diplomacy and collaboration with Kosovan counterparts. She curated an exhibition at the Kosovo Museum and organized the "Domain for Kosovo" movement to advocate for a top-level domain for Kosovo. Her efforts have strengthened Taiwan-Kosovo relations and elevated Taiwan's presence on the global stage. Her sharing of unique experiences inspired attendees with ideas and thoughts on potential higher education collaborations.

The following day, NTU welcomed a delegation led by the Rector of Vilnius University (VU) in Lithuania, a partner university of NTU. Since NTU's visit to Lithuania in 2022 to sign the new EU Erasmus+ program agreement, both institutions have been actively discussing future collaboration plans. VU Rector Rimvydas Petrauskas, Vice-Rector Edita Sužiedėlienė, and Pro-Rector for Partnerships Artūras Vasiliauskas were hosted by NTU Executive Vice President Wan-Jiun Liao and Vice President for International Affairs Hsiao-Wei Yuan. Both sides explored bilateral academic exchanges under the core theme of “Sustainability.”

During the talk, Prof. Jen-Ping Chen from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences introduced the International Degree Program in Climate Change and Sustainable Development (IPCS). The delegation also visited the Global Change Research Center, where Prof. Syuan-Jyun Sun presented research on the impact of environmental changes on species. Additionally, they toured the “Smart Campus+NTU” project and learned about the microclimate sensing network built on NTU campus and surrounding areas, demonstrating NTU research prowess and engagement sustainability issues.

NTU hopes that these academic exchanges will lay the groundwork for Taiwan-Europe international cooperation, fostering more research and teaching collaborations, and promoting exchanges between Taiwanese and European scholars and students.

More information:
Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association: https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanDigitalDiplomacy/
Change Research Center: https://www.gcrc.ntu.edu.tw/
Sun Lab by Dr Syuan-Jyun Sun: https://sites.google.com/view/sjsun
Smart Campus+NTU: https://www.ipcs.ntu.edu.tw/page/about/index.aspx?kind=2169