TKU Alumni Association of Chemistry invited alumni of every department to participate in the “TKU Forum on Patents, Techniques Transfer and Career Placement” held on Dec. 22 at Taipei Campus. 27 alumni, including Dr. Chen Kan-nan, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Kang Shung-wen, Dean, Office of Research and Development; Dr. Shih Kuo-chen, Director, TKU Innovation and Incubation Center; Dr. Chen Ching-chen, Chief, Career Planning and Placement Section; Wang Kuo-chang, President, Alumni Association of Chemistry, TKU; and other alumni from Dept. of Chemistry, Dept. of Chinese, Dept. of Business Administration, Dept. of Insurance, Dept. of Industrial Economics, and Dept. of Statistics joined in the meeting. All the participants were eager to express their ideas in the forum, and found out the best collaboration pattern between academic and industrial fields for the future. They plan to establish technique consulting company, expecting that under fair and reciprocal principles, it can create an win-win situation for both academia and industrial fields by accomplishing techniques transfer, patents commercialization, and research-problem-solving, so that these fruits of knowledge can be managed sustainably and produce more benefits for TKU.

Dr. Chen Kan-nan indicated that there are many treasures in school. He encouraged TKU alumni to look for fortune in the alma mater. Dr. Chen took himself as an example. He said that some of his patents are in TKU. It would be a pity if no body can make good use of them. Alumni should often come back to school and communicate with professors once in a while, for sometimes the technical problems confronted by industrial field may inspire some research ideas for academia. Moreover, it is also a way for alumni with remarkable achievements to requite their alma mater.

The conclusions of the meeting include the following. First, Office of Research and Development needs to establish an evaluation group to evaluate the collaboration patterns between academic and industrial fields. The group will collect and categorize the patents and techniques transfer resulted from academic studies, and then deliver the message to TKU alumni, which will enhance a sense of cohesion for alumni. Second, Innovation and Incubation Center must turn their passive strategy into active one. It has to station scientific park more zealously, or establish its branch at TKU’s Taipei campus. Furthermore, the Center has to hold the result presentation periodically in order to attract alumni associations and solicit enterprises. Third, Career Planning and Placement Section will turn the courses related to life planning into a required course so that students will care more about their future. In addition, it will also invite many companies run by alumni to take part in the career fair each year, increasing the job opening for students.

Hsu Hung-yu, General Manager of Welsum Technology Corp., a TKU alumnus of Chemistry, suggested in the forum that because society pay more and more intention to the concept of conservation in recent days, every thing such as dyes and electronic chips needs to get its environmental certificate. Hence, he thought that TKU can make good use of that point and develop the techniques toward that direction. Mr. Wang Kuo-chang expressed that this forum is just a beginning. In the near future, they will hold similar activities for more alumni. After all, in order to cope with the great changes in macroeconomic environment, collaboration pattern between academic and industrial fields as well as students’ job obtaining are closely connected to the development of a school. All the students and staff of TKU must do their best to face the challenge. (Shu-chun Yen)