Flexibility needed for competitive academia
By Chen Sinn-wen 陳信文
The Legislative Yuan recently completed the first reading of proposed regulations on innovation in industry-university cooperation and talent cultivation in national key areas.
The draft legislation is to bring in resources from the corporate sector and relax some restrictions, allowing industry and government to provide funding, and universities to train the talent required in key areas.
It is an open fact that Taiwan’s public universities are underfunded, and compared with top global universities, spending per student is low and salaries are not competitive.
As it is difficult for the government to increase funding within a short time, corporate funding offers an important opportunity to improve the quality and competitiveness of the schools.