CHAPTER 4: STATE POLICIES AND STRATEGIES TOWARDS INTERNATIONALISATION IN TAIWAN
4.1.2 Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centres
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than traditional Chinese culture. In the context of higher education, DPP government created several projects to help the HEIs to be globally competitive. For instance, projects of Plan to Build Outstanding Universities (2000-2004) and Plan to Enhance University Global Competitiveness (2002-2004) are the ones that the MOE started to use block-funding tools to help the HEIs in Taiwan to be more globally competitive.
According to the available documents and research reports provided by the government, the total grant of each project is NT$3 billion47 and NT$383 million48 respectively. From 2006, the MOE has initiated the first phase of Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centres and the second phase of this project has started from 2011 to-date. 49
It is worthy to note that there has been a huge increase of universities of Taiwan from the 1990s to-date. For instance, the number of national universities increases from 13 in 1991 to 47 universities in 2013; the number of private universities increases from 8 in 1991 to 75 universities in 2013 (MOE 2014). The total number of universities increases from 123 in 1991 to 161 in 2013, 50 among which, the number of ‘university’ itself has increased from 21 to 122 (480% growth). This shows that MOE has made efforts to take the strategies of deregulation and marketisation in HE, which is influenced by the ideology of neo-liberalism. Such changes in higher education are easily seen in other Asian countries, too (Mok 2001, 2003; Sato 2007;
Welch 2011).
4.1.2 Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centres
In 2000, before the Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centres51 was initiated, MOE has started several projects in order to help HEIs in Taiwan to be more internationally connected. The two projects named ‘Plan
47 Refer to Plan to National Science Technology Development (2009-2012) ‘Appendix 8’, by former National Science Council (NSC), now known as Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). 科技部
（2009-2012）國家科學技術發展計畫。
48 So, 2007, ‘Project of Promoting HEIS’ internationalisation’, Policy Suggestion Report, page 41.蘇彩 足（2007）。「推動大專院校國際化計畫」政策建議結案報告，台北市：行政院研究發展委員 會。
49 MOE (2011) Plan to March towards Top Universities, retrieved from
http://140.113.40.88/edutop/modules/catalog_1/edutop_about/upload/20111130192552.pdf
50 This number include the number of university (大學), independent college(獨立院校) and technology schools.(專科學校)
51 The Chinese full name of the project is:《發展國際一流大學及頂尖研究中心計畫》
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to Build Outstanding Universities’52 and ‘Plan to Enhance University Global Competitiveness’53 draw the attentions of HEIs. The available data has shown that these two projects are aimed to make the HEIs in Taiwan purse the goal of becoming the top leading universities in the world. The first project was initiated in 2000 and the second was from 2002 both under the rule of DPP. The state carried out its will by making the MOE acting as a state agent by funding the HEIs and MOE is in charge of coordinating among governmental sectors to map out Taiwan’s higher education development. Also, with the trend of educational decentralisation, marketisation and privatisation (Mok 2003), the HEIs are controlled less by the MOE and empowered more after a series of modifications of the laws in the late 1990s. These ‘changes’, or some scholars argued as ‘reforms’, have made ‘internationalisation’ as one of the major mottos in policy making as in response to globalisation (Yang 2000).
4.1.2.1 Phase One: Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centres
As illustrated above, in order to make HEIs in Taiwan become the world’s leading institutions, the MOE, being a governmental sector, created several projects in the past decade to assist the HEIs to reach such goals. The project has drawn great attention because of the ‘size of fund’ that is granted and allocated into the HEIs of Taiwan. When it comes to examine how education becomes a state apparatus, it is usually through the means of understanding educational policy and practices in a particular country. As Dale puts, any governmental sectors have its limits, and therefore it is essential to identify the limits of governmental and other aspects of state apparatus (Dale 1982). MOE in Taiwan uses ‘top-down’ means to granting funding and evaluate afterwards to make sure that the HEIs in Taiwan not only comprehend the necessity and importance of being internationalised but also would carry out the policies accordingly. It seems that the government sectors are the locomotives still on the train of internationalisation and the acting body is clearly the HEIs. Although it is argued that those projects only affect a comparative small number of HEIs in Taiwan comparing to the total numbers of HEIs, the amount of funding that is allocated to the key select HEIs should be closely examined to understand its functions in HEIs’
internationalisation.
52 The Chinese full name of the project is: 《大學學術卓越發展計畫》
53 The Chinese full name of the project is:《提昇大學國際競爭力計畫》
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Plan to Develop First-class Universities and Top-level Research Centres was put forth under this kind of background. The Project is also known as ‘5 Years NT$50 Billion Project’ (五年五百億計畫) as it aims to allocate NT$50 billion to the select universities in order to help them become more internationalised. The project started in year 2006, with the goals as follows made by the Higher Education Macroscopic Planning Committee (Chang et al., 2011). The first phase (2005-2009) of the project is expected to reach the following goals (Chang et al., 2011 p.39):
1. In ten years, at least one university will become one of the world's top one hundred universities. In fifteen to twenty years, that university will become one of the world's top fifty universities, with several research centres in that university having the potential of becoming some of the world’s Top-level research centres.
2. At least ten outstanding fields, departments, or research centres will become Asia’s First-class areas within five years. In ten years, these will have the potential of becoming among the top fifty in their respective fields.
3. The R&D quality of universities will be raised, as will their influence on and visibility in international academic circles.
4. Distinguished foreign teaching and research individuals will be recruited to train students in cutting-edge industries.
5. Substantive exchange and cooperation will be established among transnational academic organizations.
The total budget of this phase of project is listed below:
Table 4. 1: Year-by-year Budgets for Sub-plans of the 1st Phase Plan
Academic Years 2005 2005 2007 2008 2009 Total
Plan to First-class Universities(amount)
35~60 35~60 35~60 35~60 35~60 175~300
Top-level Research Centres (amount)
40~65 40~65 40~65 40~65 40~65 200~325
Total amount 100 100 100 100 100 500
Source: MOE of Taiwan, 2006a. (Unit: NT$ Billion)
4.2.2.2 Outcomes
After the first phase of the Project, there have been changes in the all aspects in teaching, research, internationalisation and industry-academy cooperation in those
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funded universities in the aspects. According to the MOE document, from year 2005-2009, there has been an increase of NT$4.4billiion in the industry-academy cooperation; 41% increase of international students; 51% increase of international academic papers (MOE 2011). Even so, there are shortcomings in the promotion of internationalisation particularly those upper level internationalised tasks. For instance, there is still not enough recruitment for foreign members of staff (including professors, students, members of staff) in the universities; research fields and recourses are still waited to be integrated and merged. It is also criticised for is too frequent project results evaluation which makes those funded universities put more emphasis on the short-term research items. There are twelve recipients of universities which gain the monetary funding in Phase One project. The list of university is as follows:
Table 4. 2: List of Granted Universities in the 1st Phase Project
Granted year
Source: Lee, 2012, p. 9. (Unit: NT$ 10 Million)
*The full name of the university is as follows:
1. NTU: National Taiwan University 國立臺灣大學 2. NCKU: National Cheng Kung University 國立成功大學 3. NTHU: National Tsing Hua University 國立清華大學 4. NCTU: National Chiao Tung University 國立交通大學 5. NCU: National Central University 國立中央大學 6. NSYSU:National Sun Yat-sen University 國立中山大學 7. NYMU: National Yang Ming University 國立陽明大學 8. NCHU: National Chung Hsing University 國立中興大學
9. NTUST: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology 國立臺灣科技大學 10. NCCU: National Chengchi University 國立政治大學
11. CGU: Chang Gung University 長庚大學
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12. YZU: Yuan Ze university 元智大學
** These two universities are the private universities.
4.2.2.3 Phase Two:Plan to March towards Top Universities
Regardless the above shortcomings, in the report of 545 Years 50 Billion Budget Implementation and Achievement Assessment carried out by the Ombudsmen of Yong Giong Ger, Xiu Ru Ma and Yi Gong Ma from Control Yuan, it suggests that the government should continue granting such funds to facilitate the HEIs to be more internationalised although some issues must be clarified and improved in the second phase of the project (Control Yuan 2010). The assessment and investigation report has listed out 12 main issues that request the MOE to improve in the second phase project policy making. For instance, the Ombudsmen question that the first phase project’s goals are not clear enough for the HEIs to pursue. There is in lack of recruitment of foreign scholars to teach in Taiwan’s HEIs. Also, the project results in the M-shaped structure of salary. The project hardly helps recruit those overseas Taiwanese scholars to return to Taiwan to server, nor does the added value of this project can decrease the numbers of Taiwanese scholars applying for posts in foreign universities.
Therefore, the second phase of the project is produced with the modified goals (show below) in the hope to continue facilitating and improving HEIs in Taiwan to be internationally connected. The newly-established goals are in the following:
1. To speed up the process of internationalisation of those select top universities and prepare students to be more knowledgeable about international issues in a globalised world.
2. To improve quality of research products developed by HEIs and to enhance the visibility and power of influence of HEIs in Taiwan worldwide.
3. To recruit and breed talents actively and to strengthen human resources development nationally.
4. To intensify industry-academic cooperation, to facilitate uplifting industrial development and to increase Taiwan’s global competitiveness.
5. To respond to the needs of the society and of industry, and to breed talented professions.
54 The Chinese full name of the Investigation Project is: 5 年 500 億元之預算執行情形及績效探討監 察院專案調查, modified and published on 2010. 3.18.
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The expected outcomes of the Second Phase Project are:
1. It is expected that at least 10 research centres become the top leading centres in the world. ‘Top leading research centres’ refers to the centre’s numbers of publication are on top ten lists in the field of work worldwide.
2. It is expected to recruit more full-time professors, research fellows by the increase of 5% per year.
3. It is expected that there is an increase of 100% growth of the exchange students in the granted HEIs.
4. Full-time scholars are expected to be titled as academician or important associations’ research fellows in Taiwan by an increase of 40 per year.
5. Numbers of citation in HiCi increase by 10% per year.
6. The numbers of scholars and students going broad for short-term research projects, exchange or dual degree programmes increase by 20% per year.
7. The numbers of English taught programmes increase by 20% per year.
8. Non-government funded industry-academic cooperation increase by 10% per year.
9. Research potent and new types of products increase by 400 pieces per year.
10. The royalties of the intellectual property rights increase by 20% per year.
4.2.2.4 Outcomes
The total budget of the second phase of the project is listed below:
Table 4. 3: Year-by-year Budgets for Sub-plans of the 2nd Phase Plan
Academic Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total
Plan to First-class Universities(amount)
35~60 35~60 35~60 35~60 35~60 175~300
Top-level Research Centres (amount)
40~65 40~65 40~65 40~65 40~65 200~325
Total amount 100 100 100 100 100 500
Source: MOE of Taiwan, 2006a. (Unit: NT$ Billion)
Moreover, the total funds that are granted by the second phase of the project are shown below, according to the MOE official website of Plan to March towards Top Universities.
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Table 4. 4: List of Granted Universities in the 2nd Phase Project
Granted year
13. Fund for the coordination among the funded universities
1.3
14. Fund for strengthen the development of social sciences in the funded universities
0.5
15. Test Project for Top Universities Academic Cooperation (on International -based)****
1.7
Total 100
Source: MOE of Taiwan, 2011 (Unit: NT$ Billion)
*The full name of the university is as follows:
1. NTU: National Taiwan University 國立臺灣大學 2. NCKU: National Cheng Kung University 國立成功大學 3. NCHU: National Chung Hsing University 國立中興大學 4. NSYSU:National Sun Yat-sen University 國立中山大學 5. NTHU: National Tsing Hua University 國立清華大學 6. NCTU: National Chiao Tung University 國立交通大學 7. NCU: National Central University 國立中央大學 8. NYMU: National Yang Ming University 國立陽明大學
9. NTUST: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology 國立臺灣科技大學 10. NCCU: National Chengchi University 國立政治大學
11. NTNU:National Taiwan Normal University 國立臺灣師範大學 12. CGU: Chang Gung University 長庚大學
** Chang Gung University is the only private university of the second phase project.
*** The 0.5 billion is particularly funded for the integration of Ocean Science development
**** The full Chinese name of the project is 中華民國頂尖大學與國外頂尖大學學術合作交流試 辦計畫.
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