Written by Written by Felix Brender and Julian Vetterlein. The article reflects on TAP’s role in building a Taiwan Studies research ecosystem through travel grants, student engagement and interdisciplinary exchange. Through the perspectives of two research assistants, it shows how TAP supported full research cycles, international collaboration, policy dialogue and sustained academic interest in Taiwan beyond traditional funding structures.
Written by Dr Josie-Marie Perkuhn and Assistant Professor Dr Amélie Keyser-Verreault. The article examines growing CCTV surveillance of children in Taiwan’s childcare settings, analysing public petitions on the Join platform alongside nationwide survey data. While most respondents support intensive monitoring for safety, significant privacy concerns persist. The study highlights digitalisation’s role in reshaping childcare, democratic participation and emerging ethical tensions.
Written by Dr Josie-Marie Perkuhn & Professor Dr Christian Soffel. This article introduces Taiwan as a Pioneer (TAP), a four-year interdisciplinary postdoctoral project strengthening Taiwan Studies in Europe through research, workshops, teaching initiatives, digital infrastructure, and fieldwork. Treating Taiwan’s innovations as analytical lenses on global change, TAP built lasting scholarly networks and resources beyond a single funding cycle.
Written by Gita T. This article examines how Taiwan could better identify and nurture the quieter forms of cognitive talent that often go unnoticed — helping students find stronger alignment between aptitude and work, reducing early burnout, and building an education framework that allows curiosity to breathe. In that sense, Taiwan’s next great export could be curiosity itself.
Written by Tzu-Li Yang. The author shares his engagement in specimen curation, trait data building, and cross-cultural learning while interning at Kew Gardens, which transformed his view of herbaria – from static collections to dynamic data systems supporting global botanical collaboration.
Written by Ni-Chen Lin and Chih-Wei Hsieh. Two NTU students, Ni-Chen and Chih-Wei, joined Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank through the NTU Overseas Internship Programme. Their experiences, studying seed survival and tree seed diversity, broadened their global perspectives on conservation. Returning to Taiwan, both apply Kew’s collaborative, research-driven values in academic and governmental roles.
Written by Ssu-Han (Evelyn) Chiu. This article recounts the author’s 2024 internship at Kew Gardens. Working with Kew’s Science Education Team, the author explored citizen science initiatives, attended the International Botanical Congress, and co-organised a workshop on public engagement, which reshaped the author’s understanding of collaboration, communication, and innovation in global plant science.
Written by Neeraj Mehra. This article examines the growing educational partnership between Taiwan and India as a strategic soft power tool. Nearly 1,500 Indian students now study in Taiwan, primarily in engineering and technology fields, facilitated by a 2010 MOU and Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. This collaboration offers complementary benefits: Taiwan’s semiconductor expertise paired with India’s demographic dividend and emerging tech sector. While recent high-level delegations signal strong governmental commitment, challenges remain in administrative barriers, visa processes, and funding stability. The author argues that with proper institutional mechanisms, this partnership could become a major Indo-Pacific academic alliance serving both knowledge diplomacy and technological self-reliance.
Written by Elaine Chung and Qipeng Gao. This article examines Taiwan’s efforts to promote Mandarin education abroad as a tool of soft power, particularly in the UK. Drawing on student interviews, it explores how political values, language ideologies, and structural constraints shape learners’ choices. It offers insight into how Taiwan can strengthen its visibility and appeal in global language education.
Written by Raian Hossain & Ping-An Wei. This article offers a reflection on the motivations behind organising the first Early Career Scholars Workshop on Taiwan Studies, the key achievements of the event, and the broader vision of establishing an Early Career Scholars Network under the Taiwan Research Hub. The organisers highlight how the workshop created opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange, professional development, and long-term community building among emerging scholars in the field.
Written by Dafydd Fell. The article traces the establishment of the Taiwan Studies Programme at SOAS and explores how it integrates Taiwan Studies courses with an extensive event program, including lectures, film screenings, and alumni talks. The strategy enhances student engagement, sustains interest in Taiwan-related studies, and fosters academic-community interaction. By combining teaching with real-world experiences, the Taiwan Studies Programme at SOAS successfully maintains a long-term and sustainable environment for Taiwan studies.
Written by Chan-yueh Liu. This article emphasizes the importance of teaching Taiwan through its multilingual heritage, advocating for the inclusion of Taiwanese languages (Tâi-gí in academic programs. It introduces “Performative Interpretation Strategies” at Inalco in France, which engages students through performance, music and digital content creation. The approach enhances language learning by fostering creativity, cultural immersion, and communicative competence.
Taiwan Insight 