Amid Retirement Wave and Global Competition, National Central University Invests NT$1 Billion to Recruit Top Faculty
Facing intense global competition and a wave of retiring professors, Taiwan's National Central University has announced a NT$1 billion plan to recruit elite international scholars in fields like AI and semiconductors.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 12:07
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 12:31 (24 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 16:43 (4h 11m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Chen Chih-chung, Taipei, 23rd) Universities are facing fierce international competition, and Taiwan is also confronting a wave of professor retirements. The University Council of National Central University (NCU) recently passed a resolution to invest NT$1 billion to recruit outstanding international faculty, with the "Songtao Scholar" program offering an additional incentive bonus of over NT$20 million spanning 10 years.
NCU issued a press release today pointing out that US tariff policies have caused a shift in international talent dynamics, leading the Ministry of Education to secure a special budget of NT$6 billion to help universities recruit and retain talent. NCU is actively responding, elevating this to a university-level strategy by passing the "Sustainable Talent Development Plan" in its University Council, which will inject nearly NT$1 billion in funding combined with the Ministry of Education's talent sustainability scheme subsidies.
Another potential crisis is the wave of professor retirements; NCU estimates that over 250 faculty members will reach retirement age within the next 10 years. NCU has decided to use its talent program to align with the "Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli Great Silicon Valley Plan" to hunt for global talent in five key areas: sustainable development, semiconductors and AI, space science, smart healthcare, and quantum technology. It will offer three incentive schemes—Songtao, Excellence, and Elite—and build an academic support system.
NCU President Hsiao Shu-san hopes that through this recruitment plan, they will formally issue a powerful global call for talent, supporting researchers' long-term work and creating an ecosystem where talent can shine, thereby forging pioneers who will lead Taiwan's national strength over the next decade.
In recent years, domestic universities have successively proposed similar plans. For instance, National Taiwan University invests approximately NT$1.1 billion annually to retain talent and NT$400 million to recruit talent, providing startup funds for new faculty. National Tsing Hua University has also established an outstanding talent development fund dedicated to recruiting and retaining top scholars. (Editor: Li Shu-hua)
(CNA Reporter Chen Chih-chung, Taipei, 23rd) Universities are facing fierce international competition, and Taiwan is also confronting a wave of professor retirements. The University Council of National Central University (NCU) recently passed a resolution to invest NT$1 billion to recruit outstanding international faculty, with the "Songtao Scholar" program offering an additional incentive bonus of over NT$20 million spanning 10 years.
NCU issued a press release today pointing out that US tariff policies have caused a shift in international talent dynamics, leading the Ministry of Education to secure a special budget of NT$6 billion to help universities recruit and retain talent. NCU is actively responding, elevating this to a university-level strategy by passing the "Sustainable Talent Development Plan" in its University Council, which will inject nearly NT$1 billion in funding combined with the Ministry of Education's talent sustainability scheme subsidies.
Another potential crisis is the wave of professor retirements; NCU estimates that over 250 faculty members will reach retirement age within the next 10 years. NCU has decided to use its talent program to align with the "Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli Great Silicon Valley Plan" to hunt for global talent in five key areas: sustainable development, semiconductors and AI, space science, smart healthcare, and quantum technology. It will offer three incentive schemes—Songtao, Excellence, and Elite—and build an academic support system.
NCU President Hsiao Shu-san hopes that through this recruitment plan, they will formally issue a powerful global call for talent, supporting researchers' long-term work and creating an ecosystem where talent can shine, thereby forging pioneers who will lead Taiwan's national strength over the next decade.
In recent years, domestic universities have successively proposed similar plans. For instance, National Taiwan University invests approximately NT$1.1 billion annually to retain talent and NT$400 million to recruit talent, providing startup funds for new faculty. National Tsing Hua University has also established an outstanding talent development fund dedicated to recruiting and retaining top scholars. (Editor: Li Shu-hua)