Semiconductor Talent Recruitment: NYCU Visits Stanford and Berkeley to Attract Overseas Students, Promote Talent Returning to Taiwan

Translated by Professor Haydn Chen
Edited by Chance Lai
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The president of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), Chi-Hung Lin, went to Silicon Valley in Northern California last week to recruit talent, hoping that graduates who study in the United States can return to Taiwan after graduation and contribute their technological skills to the semiconductor industry.

Talent Shortage Crisis: Aging Faculty in Taiwanese Universities Threatens Industry Competitiveness

Taiwan faces a talent shortage in the technology industry but also grapples with an aging faculty in domestic universities. Taking NYCU as an example, about 58% of the faculty within the establishment are over 50 years old. At this time, young and middle-aged talents are most needed, but the continuous downsizing of higher education may impact the competitiveness of higher education and industry.

President Chi-Hung Lin and Vice President Chen-yi Lee conversed with 40 Taiwanese international students.

For this reason, President Lin, Senior Vice President Chen-Yi Lee, and Chief Innovation Officer Ching-Yao Huang went to the United States recently and visited Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, with more than 40 Taiwanese students studying advanced there. Besides explaining the current "Chips Innovation Plan" promoted by the government, We hope that this group of Taiwanese talents can return to their homeland like salmon, injecting new vitality into Taiwan's technology and higher education.

Mong-Hsun Tsai, the head of the Science and Technology Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, also pointed out that the National Science Council is promoting the 2030 Cross-Generational Young Scholars Program and the pilot project for foreign high-level talents to come to Taiwan for internships. The Ministry of Education also has the Yushan Scholar Program, hoping to attract overseas scholars to return to Taiwan.

Nurturing Taiwan's Talent Pool: Bridging Generational Gaps in Academia and Semiconductor Industry Growth

"We hope our generation can pass the baton to the young people," Chi-Hung Lin said. In the 1990s, Taiwan expanded higher education, and he returned to Taiwan to teach in the 1990s. However, the number of students returning to Taiwan after studying abroad gradually decreased after 2000, and the scholars who returned to Taiwan in the 1990s reached retirement age, with no next generation to take over. Young people have a lot of talent and creativity. Now is a critical moment for Taiwan, and we want to promote the return of salmon to continue Taiwan's advantages.

Chen-Yi Lee also said that NYCU received strong support from TSMC this year and was needed to establish a Department of Semiconductor Engineering. In addition to cultivating undergraduate students with basic professional abilities, it also connects with subsequent graduate education, providing high-level R&D and leadership talents required for developing the semiconductor technology industry. At the same time, through academic exchange platforms that align with international standards and the injection of industry resources, it jointly cultivates diverse talents for the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing with world-renowned universities.

This trip to the United States by NYCU was mainly to attend the founding meeting of the Northern California Alumni Association of NYCU. Additionally, special arrangements were made for discussions with students from two schools in the Bay Area and visits to local enterprises, hoping to enrich Taiwan's talent pool.