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繁 The “2025 NIBES Annual Meeting and the DBA Solution Economy Forum,” hosted by Yuan Ze University, officially opened on July 2. The three-day conference brings together dozens of representatives from top business and economics schools across 16 countries and five continents. YZU President Ching-Jong Liao jointly officiated the opening ceremony, NIBES Secretary General Prof. Vesna Žabkar and Dean Min-Ping Huang of the College of Management. With a focus on sustainable development, digital transformation, and innovation in higher education, the event highlights Taiwan’s growing influence in fostering international collaboration between academia and industry.
Founded in 1996, the Network of International Business and Economic Schools (NIBES) is a prestigious alliance of globally influential business schools. Membership is by invitation only, with one representative institution per country. Since 2019, Yuan Ze University has been the sole representative from Taiwan and is hosting the NIBES Annual Meeting for the first time. In his welcome remarks, President Liao emphasized that NIBES sets a benchmark for international cooperation in higher education and serves as a model for other academic fields. Though a mid-sized institution, YZU offers a full spectrum of interdisciplinary programs and positions AI development and bilingual education at the core of its strategy. The university actively collaborates with global tech leaders such as Google, Microsoft, AWS, and TSMC to drive university-industry co-creation.
Following the opening ceremony, Jeff Hsu, Chief Innovation Officer of the Far Eastern Group and Vice Chairman of U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation, delivered the first keynote speech. He shared the Group’s extensive experience in implementing ESG practices. Hsu noted that the Far Eastern Group has long committed to advancing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) across multiple dimensions. With its solid foundation in diversified business operations, ESG principles have been seamlessly integrated into the Group’s daily operations, creating small but impactful positive changes. Looking ahead, the Group is now focusing on the profound impact of artificial intelligence on sustainable business operations and higher education, continuing to lead transformation and realizing its vision of shared prosperity.
The second keynote speech was delivered by Jang-Hwa Leu, Secretary General of the Chinese National Federation of Industries, who provided in-depth insights into the opportunities and challenges Taiwan's industries face in the era of digital transformation.
The event also featured the second edition of the “DBA Solution Economy Forum,” themed “Digital Development × Innovative Circular Economy.” With an open call for paper submissions, the forum fostered meaningful knowledge exchange among DBA and EMBA students and faculty. Professor Se-Hwa Wu, former Minister of Education and Distinguished Chair Professor at National Chengchi University, delivered a special lecture titled “The Wisdom of DBA Practice—A Renaissance of Management Education in the AI Era,” emphasizing the crucial role of DBA education in navigating the challenges of the AI-driven future.
A cross-institutional panel was also convened, featuring academic leaders from six universities—Yuan Ze University, National Chengchi University, National Sun Yat-sen University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, and National Chiayi University. The discussion explored strategic directions and future outlooks for DBA programs, focusing on how DBA education empowers executive decision-making and corporate innovation.
The College of Management at Yuan Ze University has held AACSB accreditation since 2011 and successfully renewed it for the third time in 2022, placing it among the world’s top business schools. In 2024, the college was recognized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education as an EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) Benchmark College, highlighting its leadership in bilingual education and internationalization. YZU was also the first university in Taiwan to launch an EMBA program and continues to pioneer practice-oriented higher education. In 2021, it established the DBA Industry Track, a program that integrates academic learning with real-world business challenges, making it a top choice for executive professionals. Moving forward, YZU aims to deepen industry-academic collaboration and foster knowledge-driven innovation, positioning itself as a strategic partner in business transformation and as a leading model for high-impact DBA education in Taiwan.
Dean Min-Ping Huang emphasized that Yuan Ze University aspires to become the most internationally engaged university in Taiwan. By hosting this global gathering, the university is strengthening international partnerships and reinforcing its role as a critical hub for academic-industry dialogue, while nurturing globally competitive business professionals.
