The "Taiwan Bridge Project", in which Academia Sinica and more than 10 academic institutions including National Taiwan University invited many Nobel Prize winners to visit Taiwan, came to a successful conclusion. Academia Sinica pointed out that this project not only focuses on academic exchanges, but also expands its vision to fields other than science and strengthens the emphasis on the value of "humanistic care." The process not only opened up closer cooperation between Taiwan and British research institutions, but also gave researchers the opportunity to interact closely with Nobel laureates and gain inspiration.
With the support of President Lai Ching-te, the "Taiwan Bridge Project" is jointly promoted by academic research institutions such as Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, and the World Peace Foundation. From November last year to April this year, the plan successively invited 31 Nobel Prize winners to Taiwan, spanning the fields of economy, peace, physics, chemistry, biomedicine and literature, and is committed to promoting in-depth exchanges between Taiwan and the world's top scholars, deepening international cooperation, and expanding forward-looking research horizons.
Academia Sinica has welcomed 10 Nobel Prize winners in this program. Meng Ziqing, Director of the International Affairs Office, believes that in addition to academics, the more important benefit is to "inspire the next generation." In the past, academic giants were mostly invited to give speeches, but this time the hospital adopted a new model, arranging an extra day or two for Nobel laureates to visit relevant institutes and research centers to have close interactions with researchers, including symposiums, seminars, meals, etc. During the process, Nobel laureates will have the opportunity to share their personal stories, their psychological experiences in scientific research such as failure or persistence, etc. They will also mention their perspectives on various social issues. Through such close exchanges, colleagues in the hospital will gain more inspiration.
In addition, Meng Ziqing said that in the past, when inviting Nobel laureates, they usually focused more on scientific fields such as physics, chemistry, biomedicine, and economics. However, this time we also invited Peace Prize laureates. This is no longer just a purely scientific discussion, but a broader field. For example, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadiyah visited in December last year. Murad, who was originally a prisoner of the Islamic State, became a voice for women after escaping. After her speech that day, she went out of her way to hug many participants, which made many people burst into tears, embodying the profound value of humanistic care.
Meng Ziqing also mentioned that in terms of academics, cooperation has been indeed enhanced through the Taiwan Bridge Project, such as the 2001 Biomedical Award Paul. The Nass winner began serving as President of the Royal Academy of Sciences at the end of last year, which has also led to closer cooperation between Taiwan and the UK. It is currently expected to hold a bilateral seminar next year to lay the foundation for continued cooperation in the future. Subsequently, the World Peace Foundation arranged for the Nobel Peace Prize winner to come to Taiwan next week to continue the spirit of the project.
