The CTCI Foundation was established on October 12, 1959. As a pioneer in new technologies, the CTCI Foundation is committed to developing technological talents for Taiwan, thereby facilitating Taiwan’s economic development and assisting Taiwan’s manufacturing industries to upgrade their productivity. In 1962, the Engineering Education Research Fund was established to award scholarships to distinguished undergraduate and graduate students.
Since 2014, scholarships have been extended to include outstanding overseas graduate students (including international students, students from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao) studying in designated universities in Taiwan, in selected fields of study, to further their education. Since 2016, overseas graduate students in need of financial support could apply for a scholarship that provided financial aid. In 2017, the Bursary Award portion was separated from the scholarship.
From 1959 to 2022, over 4,000 students have been awarded the scholarships. 2,882 scholarship recipients have been contacted, including 320 students and 2,562 employed persons, of which 24% are researchers in the universities, 18% are professors, and more than 60% work in the industry sector. Moreover, 950 recipients were middle or senior executives who had brought outstanding influence to Taiwan's technological progress and industrial development.
As the saying goes, “It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate people.” The CTCI Foundation hopes to gather the spirit of experience inheritance and create more possibilities for connecting talented individuals in the future. Therefore, a publication of the personal feedback from previous scholarship recipients was published in 2019.
In 2022, as the scholarship award celebrates its 60th anniversary, the CTCI Foundation organized a series of events, including master entrepreneurship talks, campus speeches, and a celebratory tea party. Numerous previous scholarship recipients were invited to participate and share their entrepreneurship and life experiences with students. Going forward, the CTCI Foundation will adhere to the founding purpose of “cultivating scientific and technological talents” and strive to make greater contributions to Taiwan's sustainable development by continuing to nurture and grow the talent pool for Taiwan.
I. Research Scholarship
In order to comply with the new technology and higher education extensions, the CTCI Foundation Science and Technology Scholarships had been modified, focusing on areas such as “Environment, Energy, Materials, Chemistry, Electromechanics, and Information” listed in Article 2 of the CTCI Foundation’s Donor Statutes. The “Research Scholarship” is issued for Ph.D. students in their second-year or above. From 2007 to 2022, the number of departments that could apply for scholarships has increased from 46 in six universities to 104 in eight universities. Each department can recommend one student as a candidate. So far, there have been 581 applications, 289 recipients. The number of recipients and applications for research scholarships in sixteen years is shown in Figure 1.
II. Innovation and Creativity Scholarship
In order to encourage marketable innovation and R&D, since 2010, the individual Innovation and Creativity Scholarship have been set up for undergraduate students in the third-year or above, as well as master students from colleges and universities recognized by the Ministry of Education. Since 2011, the team Innovation and Creativity Scholarship have been added. Since their establishment in 2010, 362 applicants have applied for the scholarships, and 157 recipients have received them. The number of applicants and recipients is shown in Figure 2. (The Innovation and Creativity Scholarship application was not available in 2019.)
III. Research Scholarship for Overseas Students
In order to reward outstanding overseas graduate students who successfully completed their Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Taiwan, and increase their willingness to work in Taiwan after completing their studies, the “Research Scholarship for Overseas Students” was set up in 2014. As of 2022, 104 departments from 8 schools have accepted applicatons. Each department can recommend one student for the scholarship. Out of a total of 397 international students (from 8 schools and 30 countries), 167 students (from 8 schools and 20 countries) received scholarships.
The most notable was the 2016 receipient of the “Research Scholarship for Overseas Students”, doctoral student Ramesh Perumal from India, who pursued his doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He received the scholarship from former Vice President Vincent Siew at the awards ceremony. Afterwards, he was interviewed with two media outlets of Tamil Nadu, South India, and was published in their newspapers. The newspaper clippings are shown in Figure 3. The details of the number of applicants and recipients over the years are shown in Table 1.
IV. Bursary Award for Overseas Students
In order to support outstanding overseas graduate students pursuing Master's or Ph.D. degrees in Taiwan who require financial assistance to focus on their studies, the Bursary Award was introduced in 2016 as an option when applying for the Research Scholarship. Since 2017, the Bursary Award can be applied for independently. As of 2022, 104 departments from 8 universities have accepted applications. Each department can recommend one student for the bursary. Over the past seven years, a total of 330 overseas students (from 8 schools and 26 countries) applied, and 109 students (from 8 schools and 19 countries) were awarded the bursary. Details of the number of applicants and recipients over the years are shown in Table 2.
