The EU Centre in Taiwan (EUTW), the Bureau Français de Taipei (BFT), and the University Academic Alliance in Taiwan (UAAT) are pleased to co-host the Taiwan-France Higher Education Roundtable: The Role of Universities and Academic Freedom for the Future of Democracy. This event will bring together representatives from both France and Taiwan for an open dialogue to explore the challenges faced by contemporary higher education, as well as to foster academic exchange and cooperation between the two sides.

The theme of this roundtable is "The Role of Universities and Academic Freedom for the Future of Democracy." The French delegation will include Professor Sylvie Retailleau, former French Minister of Higher Education and Research, and Professor François Taddei, an expert on university transformation in the era of innovation, education, and AI. We sincerely invite you to register and join us for the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the French representatives. Event details are as follows:

Date/Time: 15:30-17:30 5 May 2025

Venue: RM419, 4F, College of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University 

Hosts:  European Union Centre in Taiwan (EUTW), French Office in Taipei, The University Academic Alliance in Taiwan (UAAT)

Agenda

The Taiwan-France Higher Education Roundtable: The Role of Universities and Academic Freedom for the Future of Democracy

Registration

15:30-15:45 (15 Mins)

Opening Remarks

·  Franck Paris, Director of French Office in Taipei

·  European Economic and Trade Office (TBC)

·  Chung-Chih Wu, Vice President for Research and Development, National Taiwan University

·  Hungdah Su, Jean Monnet Professor and Director General of EU Centre in Taiwan

15:45-15:50

VIP Group Photo

15:50-17:20

Roundtable

Moderator

·   Hungdah Su, Jean Monnet Professor and Director General of EU Centre in Taiwan

Panelists

 ·  Sylvie Retailleau, Former Minister for Higher Education and Research, France

 ·  François Taddei, Founder and President of the Learning Planet Institute

 ·  Taiwan Discussant I

 ·  Taiwan Discussant II

Q＆A

17:20-17:30

Closing Remarks

Sylvie Retailleau

A university professor in physics and electronics at the University of Paris-Saclay, Sylvie Retailleau was Minister for Higher Education and Research from May 2022 to September 2024, after having chaired the University of Paris-Saclay from March 2020 to May 2022, the ComUE ‘Université Paris-Saclay’ in 2019 and the University of Paris-Sud from June 2016 to January 2019. She was Dean of the Faculty of Science at Orsay from September 2011 to May 2016.

She is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of the Institut Curie, a member of the Cercle Erasmus, a member of the HFSPO Grand Review High-Level Recommendation Panel, a member of the Think Tank Portiqo, a member of the Board of the Université de Lorraine, a member of the Scientific Council of the ESIEE, a member of the Board of the Institut Villebon Charpak, a member of the Board of the Fondation CentraleSupelec, and a member of the Steering Committee of the CMA CAP ELENA （Electronics in New Aquitaine）.

She has chaired the research committee of France Université and is a member of the boards of several major institutions, including CNRS, INRIA, CEA, ENS Ulm and ENS Paris-Saclay, the Telecom Paris Tech school board and the board of campus France.

Her research focuses on physical modelling, circuit simulation and the development of innovative architectures for future generations of integrated components. She has headed a research team called ‘Composants Quantiques Intégrés pour la NanoELectronique’ （Integrated Quantum Components for Nanoelectronics）, authored around 140 international publications, directed 11 theses and participated in or coordinated numerous European, industrial and ANR projects.

Sylvie Retailleau has been made a Knight of the Legion of Honour and an Officer of the National Order of Merit.

François Taddei


Passionate about youth education, François Taddei co-founded the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research （CRI） in Paris in 2006, with the mission of training the next generation of scientists at the intersection of life sciences, learning, and digital technologies. In 2021, the CRI evolved into the Learning Planet Institute, reimagining learning through innovation and collaboration. This transformation highlights François commitment to reshaping education.

As the founder of the Learning Planet Institute, he supports large-scale collaboration to build a learning planet, with the backing of UNESCO and the United Nations University. Through challenges-based learning and interdisciplinarity, François is prototyping a model of a learning university to tackle global challenges.