News
Erasmus+ Opportunities for Taiwan
On the 22nd of November 2016 OCEANS Network in cooperation with the Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association (ESAA) organized the event in Taiwan for the second year in a row to promote the Erasmus+ Opportunities for Taiwan.
Erasmus+ student and staff mobility between the EU and Taiwan has reached over 150 participants, and will continue to grow due to the funding available from the European Commission. However, the program is still not as popular as in other regions or other scholarship opportunities, which are often better know and thus attract more institutional and student interest.
The seminar on Erasmus+ opportunities was organized to provide international relations offices with the needed information about the opportunities Erasmus+ provides for Taiwan, improve their knowledge on how to apply for funding along with introducing them on the best ways of approaching partner universities in Europe.
The event was organized by OCEANS member and country representative Nik Klarić with a great amount of support from the EU Center in Taiwan, National Taiwan University and the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA) Taiwan Chapter.
The event was started with a welcome address from Miss Luisa Shu-Ying Chang Ph.D. the Vice President for International Affairs at National Taiwan University. Mr. CC Lin, Head of Policy Press and Information Section at the European Union Delegation to Taiwan welcomed the participating universities representatives. Followed by a welcoming word from Mr. Marc Cheng, Executive Director of the EU Center in Taiwan. The main part of the event started off with Mr. CC Lin presentation on the role of the European Union Delegation in Taiwan with emphasize on the Erasmus+ program. Mr. Dual Wu of the Holland Education Association in Taiwan followed up by introducing the opportunities that the Netherlands can offer students in the field of higher education.
Mr. Andrew Chao-Ting Tsung, Executive Director for Strategic Partnership at the Office of International Affairs, National Taiwan University shared the success story about the internationalization of National Taiwan University offering the participants a descriptive firsthand experience on how to find partners within the European Union.
The second part of the seminar began with the presentation of ESAA by OCEANS network president and ESAA board member Robin Heinsen. He introduced the organizations under the ESAA umbrella their roles and projects associated with them. Erasmus Mundus Association chapter in Taiwan members June Chun-Ning and Yining Chen shared their experience on doing the full degree Erasmus Mundus program in the European Union. The last presenter was Mr. Vito Borrelli from the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture. His presentation on Erasmus+ program: funding opportunities for Taiwanese universities offered attending university members a valuable insight into the Erasmus+ program and showcased opportunities that Taiwanese universities and students can take advantages off.
After the presentations, lunch and a networking session were held. University representatives had an opportunity to talk to the presenters and network amongst each other, sharing their experiences and knowledge with the Erasmus+ program.
The Erasmus+ Students and Alumni Association and OCEANS network hope to expand the cooperation with the Taiwanese universities and increase the promotion of European Higher Education and intercultural dialogue in Taiwan.
The organizers would like to give a special thanks to Mr. Marc Cheng, Executive Director of the EU Center in Taiwan for his great contribution to the seminar and to promoting Erasmus+ in Taiwan.
