In a new initiative that aims to nurture innovation in TKU students, the TKU Office of Research and Development, along with the TKU Champion Incubator Center, have established the TKU “Young Entrepreneur” Competition. The competition encourages innovation. It will provide students who have creative and feasible business ideas with the financial and market-based resources to turn their ideas into reality. Prizes for the first placed group will include NT$30,000 and the possibility of becoming the next young CEO thanks to the help of the Champion Incubator Center, which will assist the winning group in finding a suitable venture capital company to fund their idea.

The Dean of the Office of Research and Development, Shung-wen Kang, asserted “TKU will use all of its available resources to assist winning students in fulfilling their dreams”. He added that becoming a successful entrepreneur requires a number of professional skills, such as technical ability in certain area(s), and the ability to operate businesses and carry out financial analyzes. He said that through taking part in the competition, and through the expert guidance of the designated supervisors, students’ business skills will grow and develop: “we care not just about finding talented young entrepreneurs, but also hope to train and nurture in students the skills required to become successful entrepreneurs”.

To turn their ideas into reality, the winning group can choose from one of the following means of assistance:

1. TKU will provide assistance in applying for the ‘College Graduate Entrepreneur Service Scheme’.

2. TKU will help the team enter an industry innovation competition, the 2011 TIC 100.

3. TKU will seek and engage the service of the most suitable venture capital company.

To organize the Young Entrepreneur Competition, TKU has teamed up with external innovation organizations, such as Talentrepreneurship Innovation Collaboration (TIC).

On the 28th of April at TKU’s Tamsui Campus, an explanatory seminar will be held regarding the 2011 TIC 100 competition. TIC Executive Director, Lin Qing-Cong, will come to TKU to deliver a speech about the competition. 4th year TKU student, Lin Shan-ting, noted that “most 4th year students simply choose to find a job after graduating”. She feels that the problem is not a lack of creativity, but scant opportunity to turn ideas into reality. That’s why this new competition “will truly help students live out their dreams”.