TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council and Germany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) renewed an MOU on Monday to continue joint efforts promoting research fellowship programs for German scientists in Taiwan.
The two parties first signed the five-year agreement in 2009, according to an NSTC press release. Monday's ceremony marks the third renewal.
In a speech, NSTC Chairperson Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) recalled his visit to Germany in September, where he co-hosted the inaugural Taiwan-Germany Science and Technology Cooperation Conference and visited AvH to meet with AvH President Robert Schlogl. The two lauded the fellowship programs’ contributions to Taiwan-Germany relations and technological development and hoped for further cooperation.
Schlogl said AvH’s long-term partnership with NSTC has profoundly impacted Taiwan-Germany research collaboration. He said that the German government regards green hydrogen as a strategic future field that is also a key area of collaboration under the Taiwan-Germany Science and Technology Arrangement.
AvH is well known for supporting leading scientists worldwide. Its Humboldt Research Award is one of Germany's highest honors for international scholars celebrating those who have made groundbreaking discoveries, proposed new theories, or significantly impacted their fields. To date, 10 Taiwanese scholars have received this prestigious award.