In November 2023, Tamkang University, along with Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) and Microsoft Taiwan, announced the collaboration to establish Taiwan's first campus sustainable cloud and formed the “Net Zero Transition Alliance.” On March 16, during the Spring Feast event, the “2024 Net Zero Transition Alliance Summit” was held at the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center. Attendees included President Huan-Chao Keh, 3 Vice Presidents, the President of the Tamkang University Alumni Association Headquarters of Departments Samuel Su, Director General Jang-Hwa Leu from the Administration for Digital Industries of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Peter Hu from Digital Transformation Technology Group of FET, and General Manager Jerry Chen from Microsoft Taiwan's Global Partner Solutions. The aim of the summit was to explore interdisciplinary innovation and industry-academia collaboration, seeking more opportunities for alumni-business cooperation to collectively advance towards net zero transition and cultivate talents in sustainability for the future.
President Keh stated that in recent years, Tamkang University has successfully collaborated with FET and Microsoft Taiwan to create the nation's first Fully Cloud-based Smart Campus and the first Cloud for Campus Sustainability. The medium to long-term vision for academic development, “AI+SDGs=∞,” has been registered as a trademark in the education sector, indicating Tamkang University's strong emphasis on digital transformation and sustainability. Significant resources have been invested, yielding numerous achievements. Through this meeting, it is hoped that relevant experiences will be systematically shared and passed on to alumni enterprises with the resources of the Net Zero Transition Alliance, creating a win-win situation for both academia and industry. Jerry Chen, drawing from personal experience, mentioned the recent drastic climate changes worldwide, emphasizing the importance of net zero transition. Peter Hu expressed hope that through the innovative cross-domain collaboration model of the “Net Zero Transition Alliance,” assistance could be provided to transform Tamkang University into a demonstration site for net zero campuses. Furthermore, through collaboration between academia and industry, the influence of net zero transition could be expanded.
The keynote speeches were delivered by Jang-Hwa Leu on “Government Resource Strategies for Corporate Net Zero Transformation,” Dr. Li-Jiuan Chen-Rabich, Director of the Center for European Union Studies at Tamkang University, on “EU CBAM and Carbon Rights Opportunities,” and Dr. Chi-Wang Li, Head of the Net Zero Emissions Section at the Center for Sustainable Development and Social Innovation, on “Tamkang University's Green Transformation: The Journey to Achieving Net Zero Emissions.” They respectively elucidated the government's resource strategies and budget subsidies for corporate net zero transformation, suggestions for domestic enterprises to respond to CBAM, and the efforts and achievements of Tamkang University in promoting the “Net Zero Campus by 100th Anniversary” initiative. Additionally, Tamkang University's Dean of Research and Development, Dr. Hung-Chung Hsueh, and Peter Hu elaborated on our university obtaining the qualification as an “Industrial Decarbonization Counseling Institute” from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, assisting 25 enterprises in obtaining government low-carbon subsidies, as well as the relevant services provided by the “Net Zero Transition Alliance” currently. They hoped to invite more alumni enterprises to participate, not only to achieve the goal of net zero transformation but also to enhance the connection between academia and industry, creating mutual benefits.
The summit discussion was chaired by Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Hui-Huang Hsu, inviting Samuel Su, Chief Advisor of the Tamkang University Alumni Association Headquarters, Lawrence Lin, Golden Eagle Alumnus and President of Chia Hui Group, Pei-Wei Chiao, Jerry Chen, and Peter Hu. They shared their experiences and provided advice on corporate net zero transformation. It was mentioned during the discussion that net zero transformation can start from basics, including food conservation, promoting relevant concepts to employees' families, and establishing an alumni enterprise integration platform. Through the integration and promotion of the alumni network, relevant support can be provided.