On May 31, 2020, Professor Yeong-Her Wang’s post as sixth and seventh president of NARLabs came to a close as he returns to teach at National Cheng Kung University. NARLabs has immense gratitude for the efforts and contributions he has made here.
Having begun his first term as sixth president on October 17, 2016 and continuing as the seventh in October 2019, President Wang holds the distinct honor of serving two consecutive terms at NARLabs.
Equipped with a spirit of dedication, foresight, wisdom and innovativeness, President Wang subsequently led NARLabs through one hurdle after another, and established a brand-new layout for the institution.
Under President Wang’s four-year term, Formosat-5 and Formosat-7 were launched, and Taiwan’s “Third Phase of National Space Technology Long-Term Development Program” was carried out and implemented after being approved by the Executive Yuan. Although the research ship Legend faced difficulties after the shipbuilding company went bankrupt, it eventually returned to Taiwan unscathed and has already made several voyages, allowing for Taiwan’s oceanography research community to conduct cutting-edge research. Taiwania, a supercomputer built by the National Center for High-Performance Computing, is now operational, and a joint effort between Quanta Computer, Asus, and Taiwan Mobile has created the AI supercomputer Taiwan’s AI Cloud, which has already been of great help to domestic scientific research and AI development. Additionally, National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory in Tainan and the National Laboratory Animal Center, after relocated into Biotechnology Research Park in Nangang, have both begun operation. Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute has collaborated with National Cheng Kung University to build the Tainan Base which is expected to be completed at the end of 2020. Once completed, it will help facilitate and improve research capabilities among academics in Taiwan. Other centers have also made many outstanding scientific contributions, and have built platforms that bridge industry, academia, and research circles under the four principal missions: "establish R&D platforms, academic research support, promote next-gen technology, and cultivate scientific and technological talent." Needless to say, the results have beat expectations.
International cooperation was of utmost importance to President Wang, and during NARLabs’ reorganization, the International Affairs Office was established. The Bangkok Office in Thailand was also established, becoming our first overseas office. Additionally, NARLabs has successively cooperated with internationally renowned scientific research institutions such as Australia’s Oceans and Atmosphere & Land and Water (CSIRO), the Woods Hole Institution (WHOI) from the United States, and the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) in France, Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, IMEC International (IMEC) in Belgium, the French electronics and information technology laboratory Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Leti), the Japanese institute of physics and chemistry RIKEN, and others. Via these memoranda of cooperation, NARLabs’ international standing has soared to new heights.
As a vigorous promoter of innovation, President Wang not only supported SPTI’s From IP to IPO Program (FITI), the Germination Program, the training program SPARK TAIWAN, the Taiwan Startup Institute (TSI) and other startup-related projects, but he also formulated regulatory bodies within NARLabs, including his “Key Points on Establishing an Investment Review Committee" and "Regulations on Equity Management". Additionally, he revised the “Regulations on the Promotion of New Ventures”, while also encouraging the board of directors to pass the “Proposal for NARLabs Special Investment Fund” to expand the institution’s capacity for promoting entrepreneurship, encouraging potential technical teams to start new, innovative businesses.
President Wang was adamant in the importance of popular science, believing it to be one of NARLabs’ for principle missions – “cultivating scientific and technological talents." During his term, NARLabs worked with “Dong Tai Communication” to create the popular science film and winner of the 2017 TV Golden Bell Award for Best Natural Science Documentary, Trailblazers – Stories from the Laboratory. He also promoted "The Secret Base of Scientists," (a popular science exhibition), numerous events at NARLabs’ laboratories, and the well-received " Taiwan Railways of Popular Science " event, which was jointly organized with National Cheng Kung University and the Taiwan Railways Administration for three consecutive years.
The NARLabs team extends its deepest appreciation to President Wang for over three years of dedication and contributions. Prof. Kuang-Chong Wu formally took over as the eighth president on August 1, 2020. With a solid foundation built through years of hard work, NARLabs is ready to embark on a new chapter!
