Higher Education SPROUT Project

(1) Part 1:

1. Taking teaching as the core, Industry-University Cooperation
2. Fulfilling University Social Responsibility (USR)
3. Supporting minority and disadvantaged students

(2) Part 2:

1. Demonstrate International competitive strengths
2. Build leading research centers

(1) Part 1: Enhance the quality of universities and encourage its multi-faceted development

1. Main Framework

   To assist the development of school characteristics, schools will be required to organize main framework plans according to their characteristics, encompassing the vision and goals of the school development plan. Each aspect should propose specific strategies based on the characteristics of the school. The second phase will be composed of four aspects: Teaching Innovation and Refinement, Making Resources More Public, Fulfilling Social Responsibility, and Industry-Academia Cooperation, and this is to emphasize the cultivation of key abilities for students to use when facing the future world.

2. Section of the Main Framework (Internationalized Administrative Support System)

   Universities can, based on their self-positioning and development characteristics, choose and develop strategies for planning and promoting their own administrative support systems for enrollment, talent recruitment, and international cooperation, as well as setting relevant performance indicators. The performance indicators provided by the Ministry for reference are as follows: Study Support for Overseas Students, Counseling for Overseas Students Staying in Taiwan After Graduation, Internationalization of Human and Administrative Resources, Work Support for Foreign Teaching and Research Personnel.

3. Section of the Main Framework (Information Security Strengthening)

   To assist universities to establish a continuous and sustainable teaching and research environment, and to not allow any impact from information security incidents to interrupt the teaching and research, a proposal regarding “Information Security Strengthening” is planned. Universities can refer to the requirements of the Cyber Security Management Act and its sub-acts to promote information security management, following the Regulations on Classification of Cyber Security Responsibility Levels to research, plan and promote strategies and formulate relevant performance indicators on the management, technical, and cognitive and training aspects, such as: “Introducing the Information Security Management System (ISMS) in the Whole School”, “Strengthening the Cognition and Training of Personnel Information Security in Schools”, “Ensuring the Capacity of Information System Management”, and “Implementing the Management of Products that put National Information Security at Risk”.

4. Attachment Section (Fulfilling University Social Responsibility (USR))

   Social responsibility will be fulfilled through the two main principles of "Local Connection and Talent Cultivation" and "Integrating the USR spirit into the School Governance Structure", with both of these enhancing the influences universities have in cultivating talent that have international vision and mobility.

5. Appendix 1 (Making Resources More Public: Complete School Assistance System)

   To increase the ratio of economically and culturally disadvantaged students entering public schools, the subsidy system will guide schools to establish external resources that can provide the resources and funds needed for counseling economically disadvantaged students, and replace the work-study counseling system with just learning. Thus, economically disadvantaged students can balance their needs in schoolwork and life, which will effectively promote social mobility.

6. Appendix 2 (Making Resources More Public: The Effectiveness of Tutoring Indigenous Students Through the Indigenous Student Resource Center)

   Article 25 of the "Education Act for Indigenous Peoples" will continue to be implemented by establishing a cultural support system for indigenous students to study and live in school, and strengthening the distribution and cooperation system between various units in the school to promote a friendly campus environment for ethnic groups. The content of the subsidy plan promotes three major aspects, including "Improving the Counseling Function", "Strengthening Organizational Positioning" and "Creating a Friendly Environment for Ethnic Groups".

(2) Part 2: Facilitate universities to elevate international competitiveness and to build leading research centers

1. The Whole-School Program

   To guide schools in building an international brand, they must develop an innovative system and establish an international leading position. Therefore, schools should organize a Whole-School Program based on its advantages, including their vision and goals for the school development plan. All aspects should be proposed based on the characteristics of the school. For specific strategies, the second phase of the Whole-School Program will help a school to utilize its advantages for international connections and strengthen its leading position, formulating four main indicators: "Academic Innovation Research and Development", "Talent Cultivation and Recruitment", "International Competition Promotion", "Social Responsibility Contribution", and allow schools to set up multiple benchmarks to learn from the advantages of them, and not have to be limited to just a single benchmark school.

2. The Featured Areas Research Center Program

   To continuously strengthen the research capacity of universities, cultivate world-class talents in key fields, achieve international reputation, solve social issues, and greatly enhance industrial competitiveness, the second phase of the Project will cooperate with the goals of the second part of the HESP and continue to improve the energy of the research centers, with methods that include: Talent Cultivation and Recruitment, Academic Research Performance, International Cooperation and Exchange, and Social Contribution.