As you step into Prof. Tang-long Shen's lab, you see him in a meeting with his students. He spots you and enthusiastically asks you to wait a moment, saying, "I have so little time!" Once the students leave, you enter his office. On the shelves, a dazzling array of research samples and lab data are neatly arranged, and the air is filled with the faint scent of traditional Chinese medicine. Prof. Shen begins to share the story of hosting Kentaro Mori from the University of Bordeaux last year for a series of lectures and research collaboration. He explains that applying for the International Funding Projects at NTU was a natural next step from the existing three-way partnership. This partnership is the result of a collaboration between NTU, the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and the University of Bordeaux in France to create the Graduate International Program of Three Universities on Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Health (GIP-TRIAD).
The GIP-TRIAD program, based on a "campus without borders" agreement, focuses on sustainable agricultural technology and health. It integrates disciplines such as agriculture, food science, biotechnology, and medical science to cultivate interdisciplinary talent to address global issues like food security, nutrition, and public health. Students in the program rotate between the three universities to take courses and enhance their research capabilities through joint labs, field studies, and training. Prof. Shen says that the goal of this international collaboration is to nurture students with a global perspective. Now in its eighth year, the program annually enrolls students from Japan, France, and Taiwan.
Prof. Shen has been deeply involved since its inception in 2015, and in recent years, his lab's exchanges with the University of Bordeaux have become even more frequent. Prof. Shen notes that traditional research often focuses on a single gene or protein. However, the current trend is to use "omics" to observe all molecular changes in a cell simultaneously, which reveals a more comprehensive picture of how life works. He points out that in the past, metabolomic analysis in Taiwan cost about NT$10,000 per sample, putting a huge financial strain on research projects. In contrast, with government support, the University of Bordeaux has an advanced metabolomics research center. By sharing research samples with them, Prof. Shen's team gets access to their analytical equipment and technology for data generation, which significantly promotes collaboration between the two universities. Prof. Shen believes that these international partnerships, from creating the program to executing bilateral projects, not only lead to academic breakthroughs but also bring tangible research resources and help train future talent.
Beyond equipment support, Prof. Shen also highlights the importance of international collaboration in promoting diversity in research topics and innovation in research methods. For instance, Kentaro Mori, who came to Taiwan for this bilateral project, focuses on how vitamin C and other antioxidants in crops like tomatoes can improve a plant's resistance and resilience to pathogens and environmental stress. This research is highly relevant to Prof. Shen's work on viroids and bioactive compounds in Taiwanese cordyceps. It also provides a rich platform for dialogue with NTU's existing research on molecular plant pathology, medicinal fungi, and biochemistry. Prof. Shen feels that the international collaboration offered by NTU allows research teams from both Taiwan and France to more deeply and substantively explore the potential for cross-disciplinary cooperation, sparking more interesting research questions.
Significantly, Prof. Shen says this bilateral project has allowed GIP-TRIAD students to gain exposure to, and even participate in, the results of international collaborative research. While the program already includes annual lab visits and discussions, it doesn't always allow every student to deeply engage with the outcomes of international studies. With Kentaro Mori’s visit to Taiwan for lectures, students were able to interact closely with the scholar and even join in the experiments. Prof. Shen has observed that this year-long bilateral project has clearly boosted the research motivation of many Taiwanese students. They have had the chance to participate in international research firsthand and gain a better understanding of the latest trends and research models in the global academic community.
However, Prof. Shen also mentions some specific challenges in promoting such international collaborative projects. For example, NTU currently has an insufficient number of dormitories for visiting scholars and lacks administrative resources. As a result, faculty members often have to handle complex administrative tasks themselves, which dilutes the time and resources available for research collaboration. He suggests that if the university could provide more accommodation and administrative support, the efficiency and effectiveness of international research collaboration would greatly increase. Prof. Shen also emphasizes that while Taiwanese students generally have great research potential, many talented individuals are being drawn to the corporate world, particularly in fields like semiconductors, leading to a serious brain drain in academia. He hopes that by promoting more international collaboration, the academic community can create a high-quality research environment and attract and retain more talented young people.
In closing, Prof. Shen encourages other NTU faculty members to actively apply for similar seed grants and seize international collaboration opportunities to broaden their academic horizons. He stresses that faculty can "make good use of resources and proactively seek opportunities to create the greatest value in research!" By closely integrating international research collaboration with student education, he believes that every lab at NTU can cultivate internationally competitive talent and help raise the visibility of Taiwanese academia on the global stage.
More about Prof. Tang-long Shen: https://ppm.ntu.edu.tw/shentl.html
More about NTU International Funding Projects: https://oia.ntu.edu.tw/cooperation-with-ntu/international-funding/list