A delegation from Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), comprising Associate Professor Dr. Soodkhet Pojprapai and Associate Professor Dr. Sirirat Tubsungnoen Rattanachan, visited National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan, Taiwan, from 19 to 24 July 2026. The visit aimed to strengthen academic and research collaboration through the Taiwan–Thailand Science and Technology Center (TTSTC).
The visit focused on key areas of cooperation, including smart healthcare, biomedical innovation, artificial intelligence, medical robotics, semiconductor technology, talent development, student and faculty mobility, and university–industry engagement.
During the visit, the SUT delegation explored home-care technologies designed to help older adults live safely and independently. These included integrated safety-monitoring systems, health assessments, alert systems, mobility assistance, and user-friendly residential design. The delegation also visited an all-age smart exercise center that combines AI-enabled equipment, physical assessments, and cloud-based monitoring to support health promotion, individualized exercise planning, and rehabilitation.
In biomedical innovation, the delegation observed how students applied design thinking to healthcare challenges. The development process covered clinical-needs identification, solution design, prototyping, and pitching. The cases presented included hypertension, HIV, and diabetes, with some teams using 3D printing to develop and demonstrate their prototypes.
The program also featured lectures on the application of artificial intelligence in pathology and cancer-related image analysis. The delegation learned how AI can support screening, improve consistency, and reduce the time required to examine large volumes of medical images, while healthcare professionals remain responsible for interpretation and final clinical decisions.
Additional discussions covered medical robotics and remote healthcare, including hospital logistics and medication-delivery robots, service and companion robots, telepresence, telemedicine, remote diagnosis, capsule endoscopy, and telesurgery. The participants also considered practical challenges related to cost, professional training, equipment reliability, workflow design, and patient safety.
Chair Professor Fong-Chin Su, Executive Director of TTSTC, hosted a networking dinner that brought together senior representatives from NCKU, Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council, the Taipei Representative Office, and the TSMC–NCKU Joint Research Center. The gathering provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and explore new prospects for cooperation in international education, research, innovation, and industry engagement.
Regarding future collaboration, the participants discussed joint academic workshops, student and faculty exchanges, collaborative research proposals and publications, postdoctoral opportunities, research internships, and industry-based learning. Priority areas include semiconductor technology, artificial intelligence, green-energy AI, biomedical engineering, smart healthcare, and rehabilitation engineering.
The visit marked an important step toward building a sustainable partnership among SUT, NCKU, and TTSTC. By connecting talent, technology, research, and industry, the partnership is expected to expand international learning opportunities, strengthen high-technology workforce development, and generate meaningful research and innovation outcomes for Thailand, Taiwan, and the ASEAN region.