National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) continues to leverage its expertise in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and animal husbandry towards rich educational exchanges and cooperation with New Southbound Policy (NSP) countries. Recently, with the aim of providing NSP students with practical learning opportunities, the Office of International Affairs (OIA) arranged two professional experience courses under the banner of “Connecting with the New Southbound Elite Cultivation Program”. The activities, which were scheduled on October 14th and October 21st (2025), provided the students with a deeper understanding of practical operations within Taiwan’s food and biotechnology industries, and allowed them to personally engage with and appreciate Taiwan’s professional capabilities in food processing and biotechnology.
OCTOBER 14: FOOD PROCESSING
On October 14th, the OIA brought the students to the campus’s Simulated GMP Food Production Line. While there, Director Shyang-Chwen Sheu of NPUST’s Center for Innovative Food Technology and Assistant Professor Chi-Hung Lin led an activity designed to let students experience the complete food production process: from ingredient preparation and mixing to baking and packaging. By making chocolate pies and chocolate cupcakes, the students gained insights into food processing hygiene and quality control standards. They also developed a solid understanding of Taiwan’s food manufacturing technology and GMP guidelines.
OCTOBER 21: BIOTECHNOLOGY
The second experiential learning activity was held on October 21st, during which time the OIA brought students to a Department of Biotechnology laboratory for a hand cream and shampoo making activity. The session was led by industry lecturer Pei-Chieh Lin and NPUST Professor Wen-Ling Shih, who explained the production steps and the practical implementation of formulas. Following the activity, the participants responded enthusiastically, finding it novel and highly rewarding to personally create their own daily essentials.
STRENGTHENING TIES WITH TAIWANESE INDUSTRY
The OIA stated that these two professional experience courses allowed the students from the “New Southbound Elite Cultivation Program” get a solid feel for the diverse aspects and practical operations of Taiwan’s industries—from food manufacturing to biotechnology. The courses successfully showcased Taiwan’s diverse industrial development and technological strengths, while also demonstrating NPUST’s ability to integrate industry and academia with professional teaching.
NPUST plans to continue combining its educational resources and professional venues to create diverse learning activities and help NSP students deepen their professional competence and strengthen their connections with Taiwanese industry in the future.
