To further strengthen international academic collaboration, Professor Shaw-Jenq Tsai, President of National Chung Cheng University (CCU), led a delegation to Chulalongkorn University (CU) in Thailand on July 14, 2026. The delegation included Professor Michael W.Y. Chan, Dean of the College of Science; Professor Yu-Wei Lu from the Department of Biomedical Sciences; and Professor Wen-Chien Lee, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Chemical Engineering. They participated in the Chulalongkorn University–National Chung Cheng University Joint Mini-Symposium and met with university leaders to explore new opportunities for collaboration in education, research, and talent development.

The partnership between CCU and Chulalongkorn University dated back to 2016, when CCU's Department of Biomedical Sciences and Chulalongkorn University jointly organized the inaugural "Cancer Biology and Signaling" International Workshop, marking the beginning of a long-standing academic partnership between the two institutions. Professor Emeritus Wen-Chien Lee played a pivotal role in initiating this collaboration, actively fostering the partnership and promoting sustained exchanges over the past decade. Invited once again to attend this year's symposium, Professor Lee witnessed the remarkable achievements of this decade-long collaboration, underscoring the continuity and enduring friendship between the two universities.

The 2026 symposium, entitled "Cancer Biology: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Implications," brought together leading researchers from Taiwan and Thailand to discuss cutting-edge advances in cancer biology, tumor immunology, epigenetics, artificial intelligence-assisted drug discovery, glycobiology, and precision oncology. During the opening ceremony, President Tsai encouraged both institutions to continue strengthening collaborative research and academic exchange to cultivate globally competitive talent. Professor Michael W.Y. Chan reviewed the decade-long partnership between CCU and CU and presented his latest research on epigenetic modulation and natural killer (NK) cell-mediated immunotherapy for cancer. Professor Yu-Wei Lu also delivered an invited lecture on cancer epigenomic evolution, highlighting CCU's research excellence in cancer biology.

In addition to attending the symposium, the delegation met with the Dean of the Faculty of Science and the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Chulalongkorn University. Discussions focused on expanding student and faculty exchange programs, collaborative research projects, and potential dual-degree programs, with the goal of establishing a more comprehensive framework for long-term institutional cooperation.

The delegation also visited Biyan Phytopharm, a biotechnology startup affiliated with Chulalongkorn University. During the visit, they learned about the company's innovative plant-based protein production platform for manufacturing recombinant proteins and discussed its potential applications in biopharmaceutical development, as well as future opportunities for academia-industry collaboration.

National Chung Cheng University reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening partnerships with Chulalongkorn University and other leading institutions across Southeast Asia. Through expanded international research collaborations, academic exchanges, and talent development initiatives, CCU aimed to enhance its global impact while creating more opportunities for students and faculty to engage in international education and research.