Ghent University in Belgium received accolades for its collaborative endeavors with Taiwanese higher-education institutions during a visit to National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taipei. Led by Luc Taerwe, the university's East Asia Platform director and former dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, a delegation from Ghent University is currently on a five-day tour of East Asia, which includes Taiwan. During their visit to NCCU's Dah Hsian Seetoo Library, they engaged with NCCU staff, headed by Tang Ching-ping, the university's vice president for international cooperation.
The delegation visited partner universities in Taipei and Kaohsiung, such as NCCU, National Taiwan University and National Sun Yat-sen University, and held an event for alumni. “It’s been since 2015 that we had a rector of our university coming [to Taiwan]”, Ghent University East Asia Platform coordinator Inge Mangelschots said. “So, it was also very much a courtesy visit to our two very close partner institutions here to stress how much we appreciate cooperating with them and how much we aim to further boost the collaboration with them”.
Mangelschots said the Belgian university and its Taiwanese partners are similar in their core approaches and values, such as paying close attention to the integration of international students. “There is a lot of like-mindedness that can be found in these partnerships, and that makes it so nice, that makes it so intense and friendly”, she said. Founded in 1817, Ghent University ranked 115th in Times Higher Education’s rankings this year.
Despite the initial agreement between Ghent University and NCCU in 2012, their partnership significantly expanded following an invitation from the Ministry of Education for the Belgian university's rector to visit five Taiwanese universities in 2015, as highlighted by Mangelschots. Subsequent to this visit, Ghent University hosted a partnership matchmaking event in Belgium in 2016, aimed at fostering collaborations with partners from Taiwan, Japan, China, and South Korea. Mangelschots mentioned that Taiwan was represented by a 45-member delegation at the event.
According to Mangelschots, Ghent University boasts approximately 15 partnership agreements with Taiwanese institutions, with joint doctorate programs serving as the driving force behind collaborations with universities in Taiwan in recent years. NCCU places great importance on partnerships with European universities like Ghent University, with around 50 to 60 percent of both incoming and outgoing student exchanges being with European institutions, as noted by Caroline Tsai, senior regional manager at NCCU's Office of International Cooperation.
She mentioned that in recent years, the government has been actively promoting collaboration with European universities instead of institutions in the US or China. As an example, she pointed out that NCCU established the Supply Chain Resilience Center in the Czech Republic in November of last year. Tsai noted that students are generally more at ease in European universities compared to those in predominantly English-speaking nations.
Tsai further commented that Taiwanese universities frequently send out more students for exchange than they receive, leading to occasional complications. However, she noted that with European partners, such issues are less prevalent. Tsai highlighted that Ghent University, for instance, maintains a welcoming stance even if it hosts more students than it sends out. Additionally, she mentioned that NCCU is actively seeking additional collaborations with European partners.
Mangelschots stated that Ghent University is keen on advancing research collaborations and prioritizes nurturing existing partnerships over seeking new ones. She emphasized that during the renewal of agreements, the university explores the possibility of involving additional faculties in existing partnerships. “It’s not about the number of our partners, it’s about the added value and activeness of the partnerships that we have”, she said. “So, it’s never a goal for us to take on more, more and more”.
