The Taiwan-UK University Consortium unites eight prominent higher education institutions from Taiwan and the UK, aiming to foster academic collaboration and tackle global challenges.
The Taiwan-UK University Consortium unites eight prominent higher education institutions from Taiwan and the UK, aiming to foster academic collaboration and tackle global challenges.
The University of Liverpool is now a member of the Taiwan-UK University Consortium, marking the inaugural collaboration between universities from the United Kingdom and Taiwan. This partnership was established through the joint efforts of the British Council and the Ministry of Education in Taiwan.
The Taiwan-UK University Consortium unites eight prominent higher education institutions from Taiwan and the UK, aiming to foster academic collaboration and tackle significant global challenges.
The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the eight founding university members, under the supervision of the British Council and the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, at the University of Edinburgh, marked the formal establishment of the Taiwan-UK University Consortium.
Christine Bateman, head of international development at the University of Liverpool, pointed out the significance of the MoU in the context of the university’s newly declared strategy.
The strategy underscores the university’s aspiration to attain global recognition as a premier institution for research and education, and the signing of the MoU is viewed as a crucial advancement toward realizing this goal.
“At the event, attended by myself and Professor Maulik Patel from the University’s School of Engineering, we were delighted to meet colleagues from these prestigious universities. Together we have a shared vision of transcending academic disciplines and cultures. I look forward to us working together into the future,” said Bateman.
The consortium is dedicated to advancing initiatives related to “Green Energy and Net Zero solutions” through collaborative endeavors with diverse partners and stakeholders, aiming for a sustainable and net-zero future.
Concurrently, the consortium is committed to spearheading inventive approaches in English language teaching and learning, aligning with Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 Policy.
The founding members of the consortium include the University of Liverpool, University of Edinburgh, Newcastle University, University of the West of Scotland, National Taiwan University, National Tsinghua University, National Taiwan Normal University, and National Sun Yat-sen University.
Consortium members will convene quarterly to promote academic collaboration between Taiwan and the UK. These gatherings will serve to connect researchers through networking workshops and organize an annual conference, providing a platform to showcase bilateral research and foster opportunities for future collaborative research endeavors.
Ralph Rogers, Director Taiwan, British Council said “Taiwan and the UK are both innovative island chains, and our universities are the driving force behind that innovation.”
Addressing an event at the British Office in Taipei, the UK representative to Taiwan, John Dennis, expressed the expectation that Taiwan-UK relations would further intensify across various domains.
He highlighted the recent establishment of the Taiwan-UK University Consortium in Edinburgh on November 20, where eight higher education institutions from both nations will collaborate on academic initiatives, particularly focusing on proposing solutions for green energy and achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
Over 12 percent of secondary school students in Hong Kong opted to pursue higher education outside the city in 2022. The United Kingdom has also surpassed Taiwan to become the second most preferred destination after mainland China.
In a South China Morning Post report, a survey by the Education Bureau of 41,222 school graduates found that a greater number of students preferred to pursue shorter certificate or diploma courses compared to previous years. An expert interpreted this trend as an indication of their desire to enter the job market at an earlier stage.
In 2022, the percentage of school leavers in Hong Kong who opted for further studies remained unchanged from the previous year at 94 percent. Only a small percentage, 2.6 percent, chose to enter the labor force directly and work full-time, while 2.3 percent were engaged in part-time employment. The remaining 2 percent of students’ options were not specified.
The report also showed that students who chose tertiary education mostly stayed in Hong Kong, with 87.6 percent continuing their studies in the city while 4,789, or 12.4 percent, went to the mainland, Taiwan, or elsewhere.
Liz Truss, the former British Prime Minister, spoke in Taipei on May 17, becoming the first ex-PM to visit Taiwan since Margaret Thatcher. She expressed support for Rishi Sunak’s China policy and urged the UK to “enact those policies urgently”.
In a call for UK government support, Truss urged the inclusion of the nation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, while blocking China from joining.
A spokesman for Downing Street said that the government is aware of fears surrounding overseas interference in UK higher education, such as through Confucius Institutes, and is assessing risks to academia.
