Two events in one day take the Taiwan cooperation between the region and the university a major new step forward. This time, the semiconductor industry is also coming into focus for language and business students.
June 9, 2026 was significant for the international networking of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) and its region in two respects. In Berlin, the district of Görlitz and the Taiwanese city of Taichung signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on closer cooperation. On the same day, the HSZG met with a delegation from the Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Kaohsiung for a working meeting to explore joint cooperation opportunities in studies, teaching and research. Both meetings show how closely the region is now intertwined with Taiwan as a high-tech location.
The MoU was signed at the Representation of the Free State of Saxony to the Federal Government in Berlin. District Administrator Dr. Stephan Meyer signed on behalf of the district of Görlitz and Mayor Shiow-Yen Lu signed on behalf of the city of Taichung. The agreement covers a wide range of common topics: sustainable urban development, energy transition, cross-border business, culture and art, digital technologies, disaster prevention, talent promotion and personnel exchange. In addition, both sides want to network companies, research and cultural institutions more closely and initiate joint projects in innovation, sustainable development, business and trade.
The cooperation also came about thanks to the initiative and mediation of Florian Oest (CDU), a member of the Bundestag, who has long been committed to expanding relations between Saxony and Taiwan and has accompanied the contact between the district of Görlitz and the city of Taichung. Among the guests were Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch, Rector of the HSZG, and Sebastian Herzog, Chairman of the Board of the General Business Association of Zittau and the surrounding area.
Oest referred to the economic dynamism of the partner:
Taichung is one of the most important high-tech and semiconductor locations in the world. The strong innovative power of this region has contributed significantly to the fact that Taiwan's economy grew by over seven percent last year alone. It is therefore important to expand the exchange with Taichung and Taiwan in a targeted manner and to initiate cooperation in business, applied research, the development of skilled workers, but also in culture and society. We in the district of Görlitz will be able to benefit from this in a very concrete way.
”For the HSZG, the agreement is a further building block in its internationalization strategy. Rector Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch sees the MoU as a milestone:
This Memorandum of Understanding shows that our region is becoming more attractive across national borders. For us as a university, this is a win-win situation in the semiconductor sector: we combine the know-how of a global tech metropolis with the potential of our German-Polish-Czech economic area. This helps us to train young talent from three countries and link our region more closely to the Saxon high-tech network 'Silicon Saxony' in the long term.
”District Administrator Meyer emphasized the importance of the MoU for the district's international networking and expressly thanked Florian Oest for his commitment in establishing the contacts. Mayor Lu emphasized that the district of Görlitz and Taichung stand equally for innovative strength, sustainable development and the courage to transform; the MoU lays the foundation for a long-term exchange, for example in the fields of intelligent manufacturing, sustainable urban development and economic innovation.
While the signing took place in Berlin, the HSZG intensified its contacts with Taiwan on the same day in a working meeting with a delegation from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Kaohsiung. The aim was to explore joint opportunities for cooperation in studies, teaching and international exchange.
On the Taiwanese side, President Prof. Dr. Hwei Lin Chuang, Prof. Dr. Shoou Huey Chang (Director of the University Library and President of the German Scholars and Teachers Association of Taiwan) and Dr. Janet I Jane Weng, Dean of International Cooperation and Head of the Office of International and Cross-Strait Cooperation, took part. The group was accompanied by Josef Goldberger, Head of the Saxon Science Liaison Office Taiwan.
On behalf of the HSZG, the Vice President for Research, Transfer and International Affairs, Prof. Dr Sophia Keil, Prof. Dr Sebastian Zips, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management, and Susanne Fentzel from the Rector's Office for University Development and Communication led the discussions.
The exchange focused on opportunities for student mobility, joint international educational programs and new forms of cooperation in the semiconductor industry. The delegation showed particular interest in the activities of the HSZG in the field of Taiwan and semiconductor technologies.
Specifically, they discussed an educational program developed by Wenzao University that provides language and business students with insights into the semiconductor industry. The HSZG is now examining possible points of contact for its own students. In addition, various student exchange formats, joint teaching units and, in the future, double degree programs are also being considered.
Wenzao University has extensive experience in this area: It maintains numerous higher education partnerships worldwide and sends several hundred students abroad every year. Its large German studies department, in which around 450 students learn German, also offers points of contact.
At the degree ceremony, both universities agreed to continue the talks and further examine concrete opportunities for cooperation. A draft Memorandum of Understanding is already available and will be further coordinated in the coming months.
Vice President Sophia Keil was convinced:
It's a really good match: Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences has a strong focus on the semiconductor industry and Taiwan, and the entire Free State of Saxony is also increasingly turning its attention to the country. It would be a great honor for us to become one of Wenzao University's European partner universities. We see many exciting points of contact for future cooperation and look forward to further exchanges with our partners in Taiwan.
”With both meetings on a single day, the region is sending a clear signal: cooperation with Taiwan is becoming increasingly institutionalized, at the municipal level through the MoU between the district of Görlitz and Taichung and at the scientific level through the emerging higher education partnership with Wenzao University. This creates new opportunities for the HSZG to train young talent, network research and further strengthen Saxony as a high-tech location.
