National Cheng Kung University

04/20/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/20/2026 07:49

NCKU and UGA Synergize Interdisciplinary Research and Dual Degrees to Cultivate a Taiwan-France Scientific Ecosystem

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NCKU and UGA Synergize Interdisciplinary Research and Dual Degrees to Cultivate a Taiwan-France Scientific Ecosystem

Written & Image credit to NCKU Office of Internation Affairs.

President Meng-Ru Shen of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) recently led a high-level delegation to Grenoble, the "Silicon Valley of Europe," to engage in a profound strategic alignment with Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA). This mission successfully established a comprehensive collaborative model bridging AI algorithms and clinical translation. By actively applying artificial intelligence to promote social health and wellbeing, NCKU has demonstrated a strategic synthesis of technological expertise and social responsibility, effectively projecting Taiwan's smart healthcare expertise onto the global stage. This initiative serves as a concrete implementation of scientific strategic alliances within the macro-framework of Taiwan-France cooperation in science and technology.
NCKU and UGA establish a strategic alignment to co-create a global smart healthcare research ecosystem, bridging industrial needs and social wellbeing.
The in-depth meeting between President Meng-Ru Shen and UGA President Yassine Lakhnech elevated the partnership to a level of "Strategic Alignment." Both leaders reached a consensus on adopting a top-down integration model to ensure that resources are precisely channeled into research projects with high social impact. Serving as the strategic engine of this scientific vision, the partnership will implement joint Master's and Doctoral degree programs, co-supervision mechanisms, joint faculty appointments, and corporate internship projects. Academic cooperation will extend beyond publications to the active cultivation of future Taiwan-France research talent, aiming to build a resilient international ecosystem closely linked to industry needs. President Lakhnech expressed strong support for this vision, committing matching financial resources to transform academic collaboration into tangible outputs of high-level human capital. Furthermore, the meeting explored priority areas for collaboration, including energy transition, cybersecurity, physics and quantum mechanics, microelectronics, smart healthcare, and AI and data science. NCKU and UGA will establish a structured organizational interface, leveraging UGA's dual-track education and research structure and clusters to directly match corresponding colleges, departments and research centers at NCKU, providing a critical technological pathway for the transformation of global health.
Beyond high-level strategy, the NCKU delegation engaged in substantive research convergence with UGA through a "Smart Healthcare Workshop." The sessions delved into three frontier topics: Smart Medicine, Smart Sports Technology, and Bioelectronics. The delegation also conducted on-site visits to UGA's core research hubs, including the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences (GIN) and the Centre de Recherche en Santé Intégrée (CReSI). These exchanges emphasized the integration of multi-source data and cross-disciplinary collaboration, creating a powerful synergy between NCKU's clinical innovation and UGA's fundamental research excellence.

Through the NCKU-UGA Smart Healthcare Workshop, the NCKU delegation successfully aligned the research strengths of both universities, achieving a substantive synergy between clinical innovation and fundamental research.
During the afternoon workshop, representatives from both universities engaged in a profound exchange on smart healthcare. Assoc. Prof. Yi-Shan Tsai, Director of the Clinical Innovation and Research Center at NCKU Hospital, delivered a presentation titled "The AI Impact Ecosystem: From CT Image to Patient Care - Trustworthy AI, Clinical Validation, and Cross-border Collaboration." She noted that to address the challenges of an aging society and the burgeoning AI medical device community, NCKU Hospital has developed a comprehensive medical ecosystem. This framework successfully transforms medical imaging AI from academic research into high-value clinical applications. Director Tsai expressed her anticipation for co-developing a collaborative framework with UGA to advance trustworthy and generalizable AI technologies for precision geriatric medicine.
Dr. Kai-Lan Hsu from the Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics at NCKU Hospital, presented on "Integration of Digital Health to Enhance Performance in Elite Athletes." sharing practical applications of digital health in optimizing elite athletic performance. Since 2024, his team has initiated comprehensive health assessment programs for professional clubs and national teams, integrating big data analytics in fitness, nutrition, and psychology. This research has set a new benchmark for digital health, providing a strategic roadmap for future practical development.
Prof. Peng-Chan Lin, Vice Superintendent of NCKU Hospital, shared insights on "From Cloud AI to Edge AI in Genomic Medicine," detailing an innovative AI framework that overcomes computational bottlenecks, reducing genomic analysis time from hours to minutes. The system integrates Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate clinical reports and has been validated through FPGA simulation and chip pilot production, offering immense value for precise clinical diagnosis.
The academic exchange was further enriched by UGA's leading scholars. Dr. Sandrine Muller from the Le Laboratoire d'informatique de Grenoble (LIGLAB) shared advancements in "Smart Medicine," focusing on responsible AI and knowledge graphs to provide explainable clinical decision support. Subsequently, Dr. Samuel Vergès, Director of the HP2 Laboratory-who also holds a position at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm)-delivered a presentation titled 'Sport & Physical Activity: Performance and Health Factors.' He shared extensive clinical research expertise in high-altitude environments and exercise physiology. Director Vergès is a proponent of multidisciplinary smart sports initiatives, integrating physiological and psychological laboratories to evaluate fatigue and motivation in both elite athletes and chronic disease patients through sensing technologies. His work focuses on translating scientific findings into precision exercise prescriptions. Finally, Guillaume Charvet, Head of the Neurotechnology Biomedical Research Department at CEA Clinatec, introduced the latest French breakthroughs in neurotechnology and medical devices with his presentation, 'Advancing Bioelectronics: Neurotechnology Innovations from Grenoble.' The workshop concluded on a high note, marked by spirited Q&A sessions and a vibrant exchange of knowledge among scholars from both universities.
Furthermore, the delegation conducted site visits to UGA's core research institutions: the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences (GIN) and the Centre de Recherche en Santé Intégrée (CReSI).
Established in 2007, the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences (GIN) was co-founded by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), Joseph Fourier University, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), and the Grenoble University Hospital Center (CHU). GIN serves as a central hub for research teams across the Grenoble region, specializing in brain and neuromuscular studies. By maintaining close ties with affiliated hospitals, the institute integrates cross-disciplinary experts and multiple technology platforms. Its core research focuses on Alzheimer's disease, oncology, and fundamental astrocyte research, while collaborating with engineering schools to drive clinical applications and doctoral talent cultivation.
The Centre de Recherche en Santé Intégrée (CReSI) integrates basic science, clinical medicine, and corporate R&D. Its cross-disciplinary collaborative model perfectly aligns with the "Medicine-Engineering-EECS" tripartite strategy actively promoted by NCKU. As a center uniting science, medicine, and industry, CReSI is dedicated to integrated research on chronic diseases, aging, and health technology, with a particular emphasis on hypoxia-related fields. The center also provides resources for health startups and enterprises, including access to technology platforms and university laboratories. Its comprehensive project scope encompasses research on physical exercise, sleep, hypoxia, and vascular function.
NCKU delegation visited UGA's Centre de Recherche en Santé Intégrée (CReSI) to gain a deep understanding of its model for integrating basic science, clinical medicine, and corporate R&D, establishing a cross-disciplinary synergy for future collaboration in chronic diseases, aging, and hypoxia health technologies.
This mission to Université Grenoble Alpes represents a landmark milestone in NCKU's international strategy. By aligning forward-looking expertise in smart medicine and Edge AI with UGA's strengths in neurotechnology and physiological science, NCKU has established a robust framework for joint talent cultivation and transformative research, committed to addressing the world's most critical health challenges in the years to come.
Provider: NCKU News Center
Date: 2026-04-20
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National Cheng Kung University published this content on April 20, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 20, 2026 at 13:49 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]