Sustainable Development Goals

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As Taiwan’s University Social Responsibility (USR) initiative enters its fourth phase, a key challenge has emerged: how to move beyond reliance on government funding and build long-term, self-sustaining models. Addressing this issue has become central to higher education’s role in advancing sustainable development.

On April 13, the Center for Sustainability and Resilience Development at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s USR Promotion Center, hosted the “2026 USR Capacity-Building Workshop: Transforming USR Sustainability through ESG Alignment (Northern Session).” The event brought together project teams from universities across Taiwan to explore how to better align academic initiatives with industry needs and co-create sustainable partnerships among universities, enterprises, and local communities.

From Passive Support to Strategic Engagement

In his opening remarks, Professor Chien-Huang Lin, Chief Director of the USR Promotion Center, highlighted that universities have already achieved significant outcomes through USR projects. The next step, he emphasized, is to establish competitive and sustainable operational models. Co-director Professor Chiu-Fen Lin further encouraged institutions to identify and actively promote their mature project highlights, leveraging field-based engagement and cross-sector collaboration to attract external resources and expand impact.

NTHU Vice President Ping-Chiang Lü noted that the university has long been deeply engaged in the Greater Hsinchu region. From the “Greater Hsinchu Regional Revitalization Declaration” to the “Hsinchu Science Park ESG Forum” and the recently released “NTHU x Science Park ESG Sustainability Report,” NTHU has steadily built a platform for cross-sector collaboration. He stressed that USR initiatives must move beyond dependence on public funding, focusing instead on “alignment”—ensuring that university outcomes are visible, understandable, and investable for industry partners. When universities, enterprises, and communities form meaningful partnerships, the resulting impact far exceeds isolated efforts.

Bridging the Gap: ESG Best Practices and Industry Perspectives

The morning session featured ESG benchmark case sharing, moderated by Professor Chun-Cheng Wang, co-lead of NTHU’s “REAL-X: Regional Sustainability Support System for Livable Communities” project. Speakers presented successful cross-sector collaborations, including the “NTHU x Science Park ESG Report” (introduced by Executive Deputy Director Tien-Chien Lee), the “Co-Creation for Mutual Prosperity” project by National Taiwan Ocean University, and the “Revitalizing Xinpu” intergenerational learning initiative by Chung Hua University.

A highlight of the session was a keynote by Kuan-Yu Peng, CEO of the TSMC Charity Foundation, who offered insights from an industry perspective. Using a “buyer–seller” framework, he encouraged universities to rethink how USR outcomes can connect with ESG priorities. Unlike other sessions, this northern workshop invited multiple representatives from science park enterprises, aiming to help academic teams better understand the language and logic of ESG, and to transform their成果 into investable and actionable proposals.

From Ideas to Action: Hands-On ESG Proposal Development

The afternoon workshop shifted to a practical, hands-on format. Led by Executive Deputy Director Tien-Chien Lee, participants were guided through proposal design frameworks to identify industry needs and co-create shared value. Teams were divided into four thematic groups—local industry, education and culture, biodiversity, and talent development—for in-depth discussions.

With guidance from both an “Industry Mentor Team” (including representatives from TSMC, Zyxel, Vanguard International Semiconductor, and UMC) and a “USR Mentor Team” composed of university scholars, participants refined their project highlights into ESG proposals. Through real-time feedback from industry mentors, teams were encouraged to transition from passive recipients of support to proactive proposers, developing tailored strategies for engaging specific corporate partners.

Building a Sustainable Ecosystem through Shared Values

The workshop concluded with group presentations and feedback, moderated by Professor Chiu-Fen Lin. The discussions underscored a key message: when the mission of higher education aligns with corporate social responsibility, it is possible to build a truly collaborative and sustainable ecosystem.

This joint initiative by NTHU and the Ministry of Education not only provided a platform for knowledge exchange but also introduced practical tools for transforming USR成果 into sustainable, scalable models. Through cross-university and cross-sector collaboration, USR teams across Taiwan are now better equipped to translate their efforts into long-term impact—working alongside industry partners to foster a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future for society and the environment.