The 2024 Taiwan-Poland Higher Education Forum was held on November 5, 2024 at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech). The event, directed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), was organized by the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) and the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP). In addition to officials from organizers, representatives from twenty-four Taiwanese higher education institutions and five Polish institutions participated in discussions about future academic and research collaboration opportunities.



In her opening remarks, Director-General Yu-Jiuan Lee of MOE Department of International and Cross-strait Education highlighted the deepening of a mutually beneficial partnership between Taiwan and Poland in research cooperation and higher education in recent years. The partnership started with the 2018 higher education cooperation agreement between Taipei Representative Office in Poland and the then-Warsaw Trade Office in Taipei and has since then flourished. Over a hundred academic cooperation agreements have been signed, and Poland has been actively encouraging talented students to study in Taiwan through scholarship programs. Currently, approximately 800 Taiwanese students are studying in Poland, while 270 Polish students are pursuing studies, participating in exchange programs, or learning Mandarin in Taiwan. This growing cooperation has helped establish strong educational, cultural, and scientific research ties between the two countries.



The Polish delegation was led by distinguished representatives including Marek Konarzewski and Mirosława Ostrowska, President and Vice President of PAS, respectively, and Michał Zasada, Vice Chairman of CRASP.



FICHET Chairman Cheng-Chih Wu noted that this forum builds upon the success of the first Taiwan-Poland Higher Education Forum held in Warsaw in 2022, where representatives of seven Taiwanese universities discussed post-pandemic bilateral educational cooperation with their Polish counterparts. He expressed confidence that this forum would continue to serve as a vital platform for strengthening educational and research collaboration between the two countries.

The morning session of the 2024 forum featured a keynote speech by Der-Tsai Lee, Academician of Academia Sinica and Chairman of the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Center Council of Taiwan, on “Shaping the Future of Higher Education in Taiwan.” This was followed by a discussion between Taiwan Tech President Jia-Yush Yen and PAS President Marek Konarzewski on “Higher Education and Research in Poland and Taiwan: Strategies and Prospects.” The afternoon session covered topics including smart technology, physical sciences, semiconductor talent development, and the action plan for a Taiwan-Poland higher education sustainable development partnership.

To showcase Taiwan's research achievements and cultural heritage, FICHET arranged visits to Academia Sinica and the National Palace Museum for the Polish delegation, aiming to foster deeper connections for future cooperation between the two countries.