The Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education Taiwan (FICHET) and the French Office Taipei (BFT) held the "2022 Taiwan-French Higher Education Online Roundtable" on April 29, continuing a long-standing tradition of friendly dialogue on higher education between the two countries, deepening bilateral professional and academic cooperation, the development and vigorously promoting international cooperation in higher education.

The Roundtable was opened by Taiwan’s Representative Office in France, Ambassador Chi-Chung Wu, and the Director of the French Office in Taipei, Mr. Jean-François Casabonne-Masonnave. The two representatives noted that Taiwan and France share a strong commitment to the promotion of bilateral higher education cooperation, and deep academic-research partnerships between the two sides has achieved remarkable results. Ambassador Wu said that the French people have a clear impression of the high quality of higher education in Taiwan, and this meeting will set new milestones in bilateral exchange and cooperation in higher education. Director Casabonne-Masonnave emphasized that, although the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted physical interaction between the two sides, this online roundtable provided not only a platform for professional and practical dialogue between the higher education institutions of the two countries, but also helps expand vital cooperation in the fields of art, design and movie, enriching the future of the two countries, and expanding intention and opportunities for cooperation in study, teaching, research and practice.

FICHET and BFT each invited representatives of seven leading universities in the fields of fine art, design, movie and animation to participate in the roundtable, including Fu Jen Catholic University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University of the Arts, Shih Chien University, Shih Hsin University, Tainan National University of the Arts and Taipei National University of the Arts, while French delegation included representatives from Aix-en-Provence School of Art, Louis-Lumière National Higher School, National Association of Higher Schools of Art, National School of Decorative Art, Rubika, Saint-Etienne Higher School of Art and Design, and 3iS. Roundtable group discussions focused on the two major themes of "art and design" and "movie, media and VR-XR", sharing the achievements of various schools in promoting international academic cooperation, and raising possibilities for the formation of a Taiwan-French higher education alliance in art, design and film production.

This year’s Taiwan-France higher education online roundtable featured dynamic discussions that successfully promoted communication and understanding among higher education institutions. Both parties expressed specific intentions to enhance the breadth and depth of future cooperation in mutually beneficial international academic exchanges.