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http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/07/07/2003262503
NEW THINKING: The National Science Council thinks that Europe has potential for
developing scientific ties; the first students on its seeding program are from
France
By Chiu Yu-Tzu
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Jul 07, 2005, Page 2
Young scientific talent from Europe is being targeted by the National Science
Council (NSC), which for the first time will sponsor French graduate and
doctoral students through an internship program in Taiwan this summer.
NSC Minister Wu Maw-kuen (吳茂昆) told the Taipei Times yesterday that budding
scientific talent from other "advanced European countries" will be offered
similar opportunities in later years.
Starting on Monday, 17 French graduate and doctoral students, whose professional
background ranges from bioscience to communications, will begin a process of
orientation at the National Central University in Chungli (中壢), Taoyuan County.
Receiving a NT$50,000 stipend for the two-month summer internship program, each
student will be assigned to advanced laboratories at Academia Sinica and leading
universities including National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua
University, National Chiao Tung University and National Sun Yat-sen University.
In the last two decades, scientific cooperation between Taiwan and France has
grown closer through exchange programs designed for established scientists and
senior students.
"After being stimulated by different approaches to scientific research brought
by European students, some Taiwanese students have chosen to pursue their higher
degrees in European countries," Wu said.
Wu said that Taiwan"s scientific community has built a close relationship with
its US counterpart, whose students have been offered similar summer internship
programs in Taiwan for years.
But Wu said that because students in most "advanced" European countries are
required to gain internship experience before graduation, Taiwan"s offer of
summer international programs might result in good future relations with
European scientific communities.
According to Liu Kuang-neng (劉光能), director of the French department at National
Central University and the group"s orientation organizer, some of the visiting
French students had never thought of Taiwan until their professors recommended
the program.
"The orientation is designed for French students to experience Taiwanese culture
and learn basic ideas about Taiwan"s social and political situation," Liu told
the Taipei Times.
Liu said that National Central University"s location in Taoyuan County made it
an ideal place for foreign students to experience the nation"s cultural
diversity.
Liu said that Taiwan had been influenced by the US for "too long" and that
different thinking from Europe might provide good stimulation for creative local
researchers.
Several important memorandums of understanding between Taiwan and major research
organizations such as the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the
Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique remain in
effect.
Since 1999, the France-Taiwan Science Award has been presented to outstanding
scientists working for the promotion of France-Taiwan cooperation.
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