TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taipei University of Technology has signed an industry-academia cooperation agreement with Kitakyushu City in Japan.

Beginning next year, NTUT will send students to Kitakyushu for two-month internships in the electric vehicle and semiconductor industries, exposing them to the global job market, per CNA.

At the signing ceremony, Kitakyushu Deputy Mayor Katayama Kenichi said Taiwan is a global hub for semiconductors and NTUT is a prestigious institution with a long history of cultivating outstanding talent. This is the first time NTUT has signed a cooperation agreement with a Japanese local government, which he said is a great honor for Kitakyushu City.

Katayama added that one of the focuses of the partnership is to invite NTUT students to intern in Kitakyushu’s advanced industries. International collaboration is indispensable in high-tech sectors, he said.

He also expressed hope the program would nurture more “bridge-type” talent linking industries in Japan and Taiwan, while bringing significant benefits to Kitakyushu by accelerating innovation and revitalizing industries.

NTUT Vice President for R&D, Chuang Ho-chiao (莊賀喬), thanked the Kitakyushu City Government for facilitating the agreement. He said he looked forward to combining Kitakyushu’s strong industrial resources with NTUT’s technological talent and R&D capacity to expand collaborations in education, research projects, and other fields.