NEWS
Academics
- Publish Date：2026-01-07
From Smart Navigation to Autonomous Maritime Defense: NYCU and NTOU forge a strategic alliance to strengthen Taiwan’s blue-technology resilience
On January 5, NYCU President Chi-Hung Lin (front row, third from right) led a delegation to NTOU, where they were received by President Tai-Wen Hsu (front row, fourth from right) and key members of the university’s research leadership team. (Photo credit: NTOU)
Edited by Chance Lai
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As climate change and geopolitical risks increasingly reshape the global landscape, the ocean has become more than a natural environment — it now stands at the front line of energy transition, national security, industrial upgrading, and sustainable development. National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) have announced a new phase of deep collaboration that brings together NTOU’s longstanding strengths in marine science and engineering with NYCU’s core capabilities in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and information and communications technology.
The partnership will focus on sustainable ocean engineering and smart shipping, fostering a new wave of blue-technology innovation to accelerate the digital transformation of Taiwan’s maritime industries while strengthening resilience in energy infrastructure and coastal security.
“This collaboration is more than an academic partnership — it is a pathway for taking engineering innovations from the laboratory to the ocean, and from research into industry and national application,” said President Lin.
Strengthening Innovation Across Marine Energy, Smart Shipping, and Blue Biotechnology
In the areas of marine energy and coastal disaster resilience, the two universities will combine NYCU’s strengths in mechatronic control, communications, and AI-driven predictive modeling with NTOU’s engineering expertise and near-shore testing capabilities. The collaboration will support the development of smarter offshore wind and wave-energy systems, improving power-conversion efficiency and structural resilience under extreme weather conditions. By integrating real-time monitoring data with AI-based ocean modeling, the partners also plan to build forward-looking marine-environmental forecasting and disaster-warning systems to better protect harbors, coastal communities, and critical maritime infrastructure.
The collaboration also extends to smart shipping and autonomous maritime systems. NYCU has built a strong research foundation in AI-based collision avoidance, multi-vessel coordination, autonomous navigation control, and sensor-fusion technologies, supported by years of field validation and participation in international research competitions. This technological capacity endorses the development of autonomous surface vehicles and marine monitoring systems, while also forming an interdisciplinary innovation backbone that connects engineering, AI, and communications — a foundation that will further enable cross-institutional and industry collaboration.
The partnership will focus on sustainable ocean engineering and smart shipping, fostering a new wave of blue-technology innovation to accelerate the digital transformation of Taiwan’s maritime industries while strengthening resilience in energy infrastructure and coastal security.
“This collaboration is more than an academic partnership — it is a pathway for taking engineering innovations from the laboratory to the ocean, and from research into industry and national application,” said President Lin.
Strengthening Innovation Across Marine Energy, Smart Shipping, and Blue Biotechnology
In the areas of marine energy and coastal disaster resilience, the two universities will combine NYCU’s strengths in mechatronic control, communications, and AI-driven predictive modeling with NTOU’s engineering expertise and near-shore testing capabilities. The collaboration will support the development of smarter offshore wind and wave-energy systems, improving power-conversion efficiency and structural resilience under extreme weather conditions. By integrating real-time monitoring data with AI-based ocean modeling, the partners also plan to build forward-looking marine-environmental forecasting and disaster-warning systems to better protect harbors, coastal communities, and critical maritime infrastructure.
The collaboration also extends to smart shipping and autonomous maritime systems. NYCU has built a strong research foundation in AI-based collision avoidance, multi-vessel coordination, autonomous navigation control, and sensor-fusion technologies, supported by years of field validation and participation in international research competitions. This technological capacity endorses the development of autonomous surface vehicles and marine monitoring systems, while also forming an interdisciplinary innovation backbone that connects engineering, AI, and communications — a foundation that will further enable cross-institutional and industry collaboration.
Beyond transportation and infrastructure, the partnership will advance applications in precision aquaculture and marine biotechnology. NYCU’s experience in biomedical data analysis and genomics will be integrated with NTOU’s strengths in aquaculture science to develop smarter monitoring, automated management, and data-driven decision-making systems. These efforts aim to bring AI, IoT, and biotechnology into practical use within livelihood industries, demonstrating the broader societal and economic value of marine-technology innovation.
Toward a Collaborative and Resilient Blue-Technology Future for Taiwan
Toward a Collaborative and Resilient Blue-Technology Future for Taiwan
“Through interdisciplinary integration and field-based collaboration, Taiwan has the opportunity to create internationally relevant models for blue-economy development, smart shipping, and sustainable ocean governance,” President Lin said. “We look forward to working with more research partners and industry collaborators to transform technological innovation into long-term societal benefit and a resilient maritime ecosystem.”
NYCU and NTOU emphasized that the partnership marks a significant step toward building a collaborative blue-technology community for Taiwan — one that strengthens national resilience while contributing to the global agenda for sustainable oceans.
Both NTOU and NYCU expressed hope that the collaboration will spark new opportunities for cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration. (Photo credit: NTOU)Related Image(s)：
