National Taiwan University (NTU) promotes interdisciplinary development through institutional initiatives that support interdisciplinary education, collaborative research, innovation, and global partnerships. These initiatives form a comprehensive ecosystem that enables students, faculty members, and research teams to develop interdisciplinary capabilities and address complex global challenges.
For students, Intercollegiate and Interdepartmental Credit Programs provide structured pathways that allow students to integrate knowledge across disciplines and develop interdisciplinary competencies. NTU's efforts in interdisciplinary education have received international recognition, including the Outstanding Support for Students award at the THE Awards Asia, which highlights the University's commitment to supporting students through innovative and interdisciplinary learning initiatives.
For faculty members and research teams, the Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides institutional mechanisms that facilitate the formation of interdisciplinary research group. The NTU Core Consortiums, NTU International Cooperation Add-on Project, and NTU Seed Projects for Interdisciplinary Research provide them with the necessary resources and guidance from experienced faculty members to establish interdisciplinary research teams. The International collaboration research projects and University Academic Alliance in Taiwan(UAAT) provide a platform for advanced strategic cooperation across borders. Furthermore, the NTU University-level Research Centers are larger-scale international interdisciplinary research teams.
NTU also promotes international interdisciplinary collaboration through programs administered by the Office of International Affairs (OIA), including the NTU International Collaboration Seed Funding and Joint Seed Funding programs with the objective of expanding NTU's network with strategic chosen partners. These initiatives are designed to facilitate potential bilateral collaboration projects with our strategic partners, while also fostering active participation in international collaboration among young scholars and students. Strategic partners are selected on an annual basis based on past exchanges and future prospects. The allocated funding is utilized to facilitate faculty and student mobility, the organization of international conferences, workshops or forums, as well as the provision of short-term lectures and course offerings. The overarching goal is for these collaborative initiatives to serve as the focal point for international interdisciplinary research efforts aimed at addressing pressing global challenges. It is anticipated that these endeavors will not only attract additional scholars with shared interested but also foster increased research synergy within the academic community.
NTU's recent development also includes the School of Political Science and Economics (https://spe.ntu.edu.tw/), initiated in mid-2023 and formally launched in 2024, integrating political science, economics, finance, and leadership to address global governance and economic challenges.
Through these coordinated initiatives across education, research, and international partnerships, NTU fosters interdisciplinary collaboration across science, engineering, medicine, social sciences, and humanities, strengthening partnerships among academia, industry, and government to address complex global challenges.