TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) has launched its semiconductor studies department with a NT$100 million (US$3.12 million) grant from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), reports said Friday (March 29).

Competition for places at the Department of Microelectronics is so fierce that only 16% of applicants are likely to be accepted for its first semester, the China Times reported. The department is divided into two programs, the solid electronics group and the nano science group, with 27% of applicants expected to make it to the latter.

The semiconductor industry is a key force in the global development of technological advances, with Taiwan at its center, NYCU officials said. The department would use the college’s advantages and experience in semiconductor manufacturing, science, and design.

TSMC has attracted global attention with its development of semiconductor fabs outside Taiwan. Its first plant in Japan was opened in Kumamoto in February, with a fab in the U.S. state of Arizona under construction, and another factory planned for the German state of Saxony.