In a significant step toward deepening international higher education exchange, the National Taipei University of Technology (Taipei Tech) President Dr. Sea-Fue Wang led a delegation to Thailand in February to meet with Prof. Pai-Chi Li, President of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). During the visit, the two institutions signed a university-level cooperation agreement, marking AIT as Taipei Tech’s 24th partner university in Thailand. In March, AIT President Prof. Pai-Chi Li reciprocated with a visit to Taipei Tech, where both parties agreed to initiate a dual-degree master’s program in semiconductors. This collaboration, led by Taipei Tech’s Innovation Frontier Institute of Research for Science and Technology (iFirst) and AIT’s School of Engineering and Technology, opens a new chapter in semiconductor higher education cooperation between the two institutions.
AIT founded in 1959 in Bangkok, is an international English-speaking postgraduate institution dedicated to engineering, environment, and management studies with a focus on sustainable development. With a strong regional reputation, AIT develops highly qualified professionals who drive sustainable progress and regional integration into the global economy. Its multicultural campus provides a dynamic learning environment, producing graduates who excel as leaders in business, academia, and government across Asia and beyond. Guided by its mission to “nurture engineering talent in Asia to address Asian challenges,” AIT excels in fields such as transportation, civil engineering, sustainable engineering, and management. The late Taiwanese Premier and Presidential Advisor Sun Yun-suan, during his tenure as Minister of Economic Affairs, served as a member of AIT’s board, forging a strong connection between Taiwan and the institute. Over the years, the Taiwanese government and state-owned enterprises have sent numerous professionals to AIT for advanced studies, with AIT alumni playing key roles in Taiwan’s major infrastructure projects.
Taipei Tech President Wang emphasized that both Taipei Tech and AIT share a commitment to cultivating engineering talent, significantly contributing to national economic development and earning international recognition. As a practice-oriented research university, Taipei Tech has long collaborated with top global institutions such as MIT, Penn State, and Tohoku University in Japan, facilitating student and faculty exchanges and joint research. Additionally, Taipei Tech has pioneered innovative industry-academia partnerships, particularly in the semiconductor sector, and last year became the first university of technology in Taiwan to establish a master’s degree program in semiconductor technology.
President Wang expressed confidence that the dual-degree collaboration with AIT in semiconductors will advance technological development in this critical strategic industry. He also hopes to expand future cooperation into areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), EMBA programs, and other academic fields, jointly nurturing exceptional talent.
AIT President Prof. Pai-Chi Li, a distinguished professor in electrical engineering and biomedical electronics and bioinformatics at the National Taiwan University (NTU), assumed his role at AIT in September 2024, becoming the institute’s first president from Taiwan. Prof. Li noted that over the decades, AIT has trained numerous top engineers for Taiwan, Japan, India, and Southeast Asian countries. Among its more than 27,000 graduates from over 100 countries, nearly 900 hail from Taiwan. The new semiconductor collaboration with Taipei Tech is part of Prof. Li’s ambitious “transformative engineering” initiative since taking office. Through international academic partnerships, he aims to align with Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy,” strengthening talent development in semiconductors, AI, and other technology sectors to support the sustainable prosperity of Asia’s economy.
