On Friday, November 22, 2024, Ehime University concluded an Memorandum of Understanding for Academic Exchange (MoU) and an Agreement on Student Exchange with National Chiayi University in Taiwan. The conclusion was prompted by the visit of President Han-Chien Lin of National Chiayi University to Ehime Prefecture in August 2024 as the head of a delegation of the university’s baseball team, when he visited President Nishina Hiroshige to discuss cooperative relations with Ehime University.
Located in central Taiwan, National Chiayi University is a comprehensive university established in 2000 through the merger of Chiayi Institute of Technology and Chiayi Normal College and has seven faculties. The university has a track record of exchanges between the Department of Bio-industry and Agribusiness Administration, College of Management, National Chiayi University and the Course of Forest Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, as well as a student exchange program through a short-term student dispatch program.
On November 22, a signing ceremony between the two universities was held at the Lantan Campus of National Chiayi University. At the beginning of the ceremony, President Lin stated that “Ehime University and National Chiayi University are both institutions of higher education with a long history, and we would like to continue our cooperation with the local community. President Nishina then said, “This agreement will provide students from both universities with opportunities to learn about Taiwanese and Japanese culture and society, and to deepen mutual understanding. We also hope that it will serve as a basis for faculty members and students of both universities to challenge each other and create new knowledge in a wide range of research fields”. The signing ceremony was attended by the heads of each department of the College of Life Sciences of Chiayi University. During the exchange of opinions after the signing, many requests were made for research cooperation with Ehime University, mainly in the field of biotechnology.
Chiayi Institute of Technology, one of the predecessors of National Chiayi University, dates back to Taiwan Public Chiayi Agricultural and Forestry School established in 1919. On November 23, the 105th anniversary celebration was held at the Auditorium on the same campus. President Nishina attended the ceremony as a guest of honor. The ceremony was attended by many guests from Japan and abroad, including Mr. Hamasato Kaname, Vice Governor of Ehime Prefecture, Professor Wada Kenji, Vice President of Kagawa University, and other guests from overseas partner universities.
Through these MoU and agreement, we will further promote exchanges between the two universities, and we will also collaborate with Ehime Prefecture to contribute to regional development.
＜International Relations Office＞