On February 4, 2026, the Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) joined the college-level delegation from the College of Life Sciences for an academic visit to the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). Through a series of formal courtesy visits, academic exchanges, and laboratory tours, the delegation further strengthened bilateral engagement in research collaboration and research-oriented talent development, with particular emphasis on the operationalization of dual-degree programs.

   UPLB is one of the Philippines’ most prominent research-intensive universities, located in Los Baños, with academic strengths spanning the natural sciences, agriculture, biology, and chemistry. Its mature research capacity and well-established graduate education system are highly complementary to the research-driven mission and advanced talent cultivation goals of KMU’s College of Life Sciences.

High-Level Administrative Engagement

   At the administrative level, the delegation conducted a sequence of official courtesy visits. The visit began with a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of UPLB at the Office of the Chancellor in BM Gonzales Hall, followed by a meeting with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at the CAS DO Conference Room, and concluded with a visit to the Dean of the Graduate School at the GS Conference Room. These high-level discussions focused on research university governance, graduate training frameworks, international student mobility, and master’s and doctoral dual-degree programs, underscoring the strong institutional commitment on both sides to deepening long-term collaboration.

1.Academic Exchange and Research Interaction

In the academic exchange program, the delegation visited the Nanotechnology Laboratory and related research facilities at the Institute of Chemistry, gaining first-hand insight into UPLB’s research directions and infrastructure in chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology. This was followed by an academic and technical seminar.

During the seminar, Dean Sodio C. N. Hsu introduced the overall development strategy of KMU’s College of Life Sciences and highlighted the INTENSE Program as a key platform for international research collaboration and advanced talent cultivation. Subsequently, Professor Pei-Feng Liu, Professor Wei-Yu Lin, and Professor Wei-Ting Liao presented the research strengths, core technologies, and interdisciplinary integration of the Departments of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, and Biotechnology, respectively.

2. Vision for Translational Research and Talent Development

Notably, Professor Wei-Ting Liao, Chair of the Department of Biotechnology, delivered a presentation centered on the theme “The purpose of science is to improve humanity, and the purpose of humanity is environmental sustainability.” He shared how the Department of Biotechnology integrates fundamental research with clinical and translational applications, illustrating a research pathway that bridges molecular and cellular studies with real-world biomedical and environmental health challenges.

His presentation resonated strongly with Gladys Cherisse J. Completo, Dean of the Institute of Chemistry at UPLB. During the student Q&A session, Professor Completo remarked, “Our students are very smart.” Professor Liao responded by observing that throughout the campus he frequently saw students studying collaboratively under trees or on stairways, actively discussing coursework using tablet devices—demonstrating a high level of academic engagement. Professor Completo further noted that if UPLB students could access KMU’s research resources, they would be well positioned to achieve outstanding accomplishments in their future scientific and professional careers. Following the seminar, both institutions identified the revision and alignment of dual-degree program documentation as a top priority.

3.Advancing Dual-Degree Programs under the Existing MoU

UPLB and KMU’s College of Life Sciences had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the previous year. This visit was conducted within the framework of the existing MoU, with the explicit goal of translating agreements into actionable dual-degree programs. During the collaboration discussions, both sides focused on concrete mechanisms for student research internships, joint research projects, master’s and doctoral dual-degree programs, and the establishment of regular bilateral academic symposia, reaching a consensus to jointly develop feasible implementation plans and progressively realize collaborative initiatives.

Together with the previous day’s visit to the University of Santo Tomas, the UPLB engagement formed a complementary partnership strategy, further strengthening the international collaboration network of the KMU Department of Biotechnology across education, research collaboration, and high-level talent development in the Philippines.

 DepKey Highlights

• Operationalization of Research-Oriented Dual-Degree Programs
  Advancing dual-degree programs from preliminary agreements to institutionalized and implementable frameworks at the master’s and doctoral levels.
• Integration of Fundamental Research with Translational and Clinical Applications
  Extending molecular and cellular research toward clinical and environmental medicine applications, demonstrating a comprehensive linkage between scientific discovery and societal health.
• Platform for International High-Level Biotechnology Talent Development
  Establishing regular bilateral international symposia and promoting joint research and research internships to cultivate globally competitive biotechnology professionals.

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