Innovation, Engagement and Technological Exchanges Mark a Successful Mission

President Teik C. Lim joined New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on a recent East Asia economic mission aimed at generating investment and strengthening academic ties.

“Industry in America and abroad play a very critical role in helping us fulfill our mission as one of the greatest producers of technological talent and knowledge that fuel the economic growth throughout the state,” Lim said.

The delegation included former NJII Vice President Kathy Naaz and was organized by the nonprofit Choose New Jersey, which plans on opening the New Jersey Asia-Pacific Center in Taipei City, Taiwan. The delegation also visited Japan and South Korea.

During the mission, President Lim signed several important agreements. One, between NJIT and National Tsing Hua University, will facilitate joint research activities and the exchange of faculty and students.  

President Lim also signed an agreement with National Taipei University of Technology — the third such collaboration between the two institutions. This one, Lim said, will create a Joint Research Program, with three projects chosen each year to be funded by both Taipei Tech and NJIT. The projects will be co-led by faculty members from each university and will focus on STEM. The continuing partnership with Taipei Tech recently resulted in 15 NJIT students from various disciplines spending two weeks in Taipei for an immersion into Taiwan’s higher education institutions, language and culture. 

Another collaboration will enhance the global competitiveness of Korean and New Jersey companies. President Lim signed an agreement between the Korea Accelerator Association (KAA), Korea Early Stage Investors Association (KESIA) and NJIT. The agreement will enable NJIT, KAA and KESIA to work together.

President Lim also signed an agreement between the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and NJIT, which focuses primarily on collaborative research in solar physics. The reaffirmation of this agreement (originated in 2014 and now extended to 2029) continues collaboration between KASI and NJIT to advance joint research efforts. The collaboration is unique, as it centers around NJIT’s Big Bear Solar Observatory.  

In another solar initiative, NJIT also agreed to work with ECOVE Solar Energy Corporation in Taiwan on a wide range of ventures to spur economic growth and innovation. The agreement will enable NJIT to purchase solar energy produced by ECOVE’s subsidiary in New Jersey — further supporting the university’s mission to become a more sustainable campus.

“These international partnerships are expected to fuel the further strengthening of our academic, research and innovation, as evident from NJIT’s rise in all the major classifications this past year — including the Wall Street Journal ranking that puts NJIT at number 2 nationally among all public institutions,” Lim said.

_{Photo: President Teik C. Lim, Governor Phil Murphy and Taipei Tech University President Sea-Fue Wang in Taiwan}