With 200 participants, including 75 Taiwanese scientists and institutional representatives, the Minister for Science and the Deputy Minister of the National Science and Technology Council, Université Grenoble Alpes is hosting the Taiwan-France Science and Technology Conference on 20 and 21 April – the first time the event has been held in France. The two-day conference aims to strengthen a strategic partnership and jointly set out the scientific priorities for the next two years.
Two years ago, in Taipei, the first edition of this bilateral dialogue opened the door to a scientific and technological cooperation agreement, in which shared ambitions were set out across key areas for research. Two years later, this conference is being held for the first time in France, in Grenoble, where UGA and CEA are jointly organising the event, with the support of the French Office in Taipei, the Taipei Representative Office in France and the National Science and Technology Council.
UGA's role as host is no coincidence. The university has maintained close ties with its Taiwanese counterparts for several years, through research collaborations, academic exchanges and an active partnership strategy, notably with National Taiwan University and the Alain Aspect programme, a trilateral centre focused on quantum science. This meeting is a natural continuation of that commitment, and represents a highlight of bilateral cooperation, celebrating the scientific communities’ commitment to strengthening Franco-Taiwanese collaboration on strategic priorities.
A high-level international mobilisation
Some 200 figures will make the trip on 20 and 21 April, including 75 Taiwanese representatives attending specifically for the occasion. Leading the delegation is Dr. Cheng-Wen Wu, Minister of the National Science and Technology Council, accompanied by Bing-Yu Chen, Vice-Minister of the National Science and Technology Council, and Dr. Hung-Yin Tsai, President of the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR). A high-ranking delegation that speaks to the importance Taiwan places on this partnership.
On the French side, the mobilisation is equally significant. Alongside UGA President Prof. Yassine Lakhnech, the event will bring together leading figures from French public research: Dr. Bruno Sportisse, CEO of Inria; Prof. Didier Samuel, CEO of Inserm; Dr. Bruno Feignier, Deputy Director General of CEA; as well as representatives from CNES, Ifremer, the Institut Laue-Langevin, ESRF and IRAM.
A committed university community
The Meeting is also an opportunity for broad engagement from the French academic world. France Universités will be represented by its Vice-President, Dr. Jean-François Huchet, President of INALCO. Several French universities - including members of Udice, the grouping of intensive research universities - will also be in attendance: Université Paris-Saclay, Université de Lille, Université de Bordeaux, and Université de Lorraine, among others. It is the French research university community as a whole that is committing to this partnership.
Over two days, nearly 90 scientific experts and 30 speakers from both sides will review ongoing cooperations, identify what is working, pinpoint gaps, and jointly define scientific and technological priorities for 2026-2027. Eight areas are on the agenda: quantum technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, health, energy, ocean sciences, and space.
A packed programme and milestones for 2026–2027
The programme is packed, offering an opportunity to explore the Grenoble ecosystem and continue the Franco-Taiwanese scientific dialogue. On the morning of 20 April, the delegations will visit laboratories and technology platforms at UGA and its partners, to see from the inside how public research, national research organisations and industry players work together. The afternoon will begin with institutional addresses and the first round-table discussions. 21 April will be devoted to dialogue between the scientific institutions represented, notably including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between INSERM and the NIARs (National Institutes of Applied Research), and to thematic scientific sessions bringing together leading French and Taiwanese scientific experts.
At the end of these two days of high-level scientific dialogue, the research communities and scientific institutions will have laid the groundwork and identified the most promising areas for consolidating cooperation in 2026 and 2027. The next Franco-Taiwanese Science and Technology Conference will be held in Taiwan in 2028.
