FACULTY members of the Taiwan-based National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to explore areas of collaboration on science and technology.
SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio and other SEARCA officials welcomed NDHU faculty members led by Vice President Prof. Yuan-Ron Ma during their visit on March 30, 2023.
Famous for its liberal yet conducive learning atmosphere, NDHU is a renowned university in Hualien, Taiwan with three campuses at Shoufeng, Meilun and Pingtun.
During the meeting, Gregorio said NDHU benchmarked SEARCA's programs and activities on science and technology.
On the other hand, Ma also presented NDHU's degree program offerings on physics, applied mathematics, life science and engineering.
"These disciplines are the essential ingredients in solidifying interdisciplinary agriculture fields such as agricultural biotechnology, agricultural chemistry, and agricultural economics," Gregorio said.
He also emphasized the need to recognize such activities to achieve SEARCA's 11th Five-Year Plan of Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN).
Gregorio noted that NDHU places a premium on international cooperation and affirmed that SEARCA is keen to collaborate with the university in keeping with its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 17 which is Partnership for the Goals.
The NDHU delegation also toured the SEARCA Hub for Agricultural and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum.
Gregorio said the Sharing AgriMuseum features interactive displays on Southeast Asian agriculture and Agriculture 4.0 tools for prototyping.
During NDHU's visit, the SEARCA contingent led by Gregorio included Corinta Guerta, technical advisor to the director; Dr. Gerlie Tatlonghari, program head of Research and Thought Leadership Department; Ma. Christina Corales, program specialist and officer-in-charge of Emerging Innovation for Growth Department; Monalinda Cadiz, program specialist and officer-in-charge of Applied Knowledge and Resources Unit; and other staff.
