Department of Agricultural Technology, 
Reporter / Li Chiao Chih
Three Universities Join Hands to Cultivate Future Smart Agriculture Talent
The signing ceremony was held at the College of Agriculture of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology. The agreement was signed by Associate Dean Hu Shao Yang of the College of Agriculture at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and Director Pao Chien Kuo of the Department of Agricultural Technology at National Formosa University. Assistant Professor Lo Kuo Ching from the Department of Horticulture at Hungkuo Delin University of Technology also attended as a witness. Representatives from the three universities all affirmed that this collaboration will significantly strengthen smart agriculture education, enhance industry academia cooperation effectiveness, and deepen talent cultivation.
The Smart Agriculture Executive Office at National Formosa University was established under the Ministry of Education Talent Cultivation Platform Program. It has long promoted smart agriculture talent cultivation, industry academia linkage, and faculty development, while also assisting in the implementation of Ministry of Education industry academia cooperative talent cultivation programs and cross university course collaborations. Through the promotion of cross university projects and an understanding of industry talent needs, Taiwan is actively developing resilient agriculture and urgently requires cross university resource integration and collaboration to cultivate the smart agriculture professionals needed in the future.
▲NFU, NPUST, and Hungkuo Delin sign an MOU to jointly cultivate the smart agriculture talent needed for the future. Photo provided by the organizer.
In view of this, National Formosa University proactively connected partner institutions and jointly signed a memorandum of understanding with National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and Hungkuo Delin University of Technology, bringing together agricultural related departments from the three universities. All three universities are among the few institutions in Taiwan’s technological and vocational education system that offer agriculture related programs. This collaboration therefore carries strong demonstration significance and will establish an important model for smart agriculture education cooperation.
Actively Deepening Cooperation with Industry and Employment Linkages
Future cooperation will focus on joint curriculum development, faculty development, shared teaching resources, and industry academia collaboration. The three universities will integrate their respective agricultural technology expertise to jointly develop smart agriculture courses and teaching materials, while enhancing faculty practical capabilities through teacher training and teaching observations. Smart agriculture practice sites and talent cultivation bases will also be opened to students from the participating universities to provide more diverse hands on learning opportunities. In addition, the three universities will jointly promote cross university industry academia projects and talent cultivation programs, further strengthening cooperation with industry and employment connections.
This collaboration symbolizes a new stage of closer cross university cooperation in smart agriculture education. In the future, the talent cultivation platform will continue integrating cross university and regional industry academia resources, promoting curriculum innovation, strengthening faculty capacity in smart agriculture education, and deepening connections with industry. The goal is to cultivate a new generation of smart agriculture professionals equipped with agricultural expertise, technological application capability, and sustainable thinking, thereby establishing a more resilient and forward looking foundation for agricultural education development.