As the global demand for advanced technology infrastructure accelerates, high-level cross-border collaborations between academia, government, and industry have become essential to sustaining the semiconductor talent ecosystem. Sebastian Gemkow, Minister of the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism, and Advisor Daniel Berger, accompanied by the TSMC Human Resources team, recently made their second official visit to National Taiwan University (NTU). Hosted by OIA Dean Hsiao-Wei Yuan and Associate Dean Jun-Hao Lee, the delegation reviewed the milestone achievements of the "Semiconductor Talent Incubation Program" initiated in 2024 and discussed future frameworks for deepening institutional cooperation.
The program originated from an agreement signed in 2023 by TSMC, the Saxon State Government, and TUD Dresden University of Technology. As the inaugural and exclusive academic partner university in Taiwan for this initiative, NTU recently welcomed 30 international students representing six nationalities from three major German universities. The selected scholars undergo a comprehensive one-semester academic regimen at NTU before transitioning to TSMC’s Taichung facility for practical, hands-on training. This collaborative model positions NTU at the forefront of pioneering state-level, trilateral educational initiatives that bridge international academic knowledge with industrial applications.
To ensure rigorous academic training, eight professors from NTU’s Departments of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Engineering, and Information Management serve as mentors, delivering eight specialized semiconductor courses. Complementing this core technical training, the NTU Office of International Affairs has integrated professional career workshops, Mandarin language courses, and localized cultural immersive activities into the curriculum. This dual framework equips international students with essential technical capabilities and cross-cultural competencies, establishing a sustainable blueprint for transnational workforce development in strategic technology sectors.