Taiwan’s National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) held an informational forum in Santa Clara, California, on July 8, aiming to promote its international outreach and strengthen academic exchange between Taiwan and the United States.

The forum was held at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the city.

The visit to the U.S. West Coast was part of NKUST’s broader effort to showcase its strengths in vocational education, industry-academia collaboration, and global engagement. The delegation, led by NKUST President Ching-Yu Yang, also received support from TECO in San Francisco.

Founded in 2018 through the merger of three vocational universities, NKUST is now in its eighth year and has become Taiwan’s largest university of science and technology.

During the forum, Vice President Shu-Ling Hsieh of the university outlined NKUST’s mission: to serve as brainpower for Kaohsiung, an engine of industrial innovation, a southern hub for Taiwan’s high-tech development, and a campus promoting diversity and integration.

Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second-largest city, is home to the island’s major southern port. The city is strategically located along the Bashi Channel, one of the Pacific’s busiest maritime routes, and once hosted a U.S. military presence prior to the formal establishment of U.S.-China diplomatic relations.

Hsieh said that NKUST maintains a long-term collaboration with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the largest chipmaker in the world. The university operates five campuses across Taiwan, comprising 10 colleges and 57 departments. It offers 56 master’s programs and 18 doctoral programs, with a current student population of 26,016 and a faculty of 826. Among its students, 456 are international.

NKUST is also home to four unique research centers: Semiconductor Packaging and Testing, Railway Technology, Advanced Materials Forming Technology, and Marine Sediment Studies. In addition, it operates a 9,680-ton ocean training vessel used to educate maritime professionals.

Since 2011, NKUST has collaborated with the University of Missouri–St. Louis to offer dual-degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students. It also maintains partnerships and joint research programs with universities in Germany, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea.

NKUST will also visit San Jose State University as part of this trip, aiming to develop dual-degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

In his remarks, President Yang invited overseas Taiwanese professionals to return to Taiwan and contribute to the development of vocational education. He highlighted NKUST’s flexible salary system and strong support services, and he welcomed global talent to join Taiwan’s vision for innovative education.

Yang also encouraged American students to study in Taiwan and take advantage of Taiwan’s high-quality and affordable higher education system.

The visiting delegation included President Yang, Vice President Hsieh, Director of International Affairs Wen-Jui Tseng, and Director of the President’s Office Claire Wei.

The July 8 event drew interest and participation from several organizations, including the North America Taiwanese Engineering and Science Association, the Silicon Valley Taiwan–U.S. Industrial and Technology Association, and the Taiwan Trade Center in San Francisco.

Other notable attendees included Dr. Hong-Wei Yen, director of science and technology at TECO San Francisco; Ching-Feng Tung, director of the TECO education division; Dr. Joe Chou, former president of the North California Chapter of the North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association; and Maggie Liu, director of the Taiwan Trade Center San Francisco.