A government scholarship develops top art and design personnel.
Hsu Shih-chien (.徐世謙), a graduate student in the Department of Design at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Taipei City, returned home in September last year after earning a certificate in Digital Creature Animation—Technical Direction at Sheridan College in Canada. It was Hsu’s first overseas trip and proved to be an eye-opening and life-changing experience. “The one-year certificate is designed in response to industry demand, enabling students to study advanced computer animation techniques, enhance their technical skills and creativity, and expand their professional portfolio,” the 24-year-old said. “I learned lots of practical techniques such as 3D modeling and rigging and how to apply accurate technical animation.” Developing career-ready skills can increase job-hunting success, he added.
Hsu’s trip to Canada was made possible thanks to financial support from the Ministry of Education (MOE). In 2005, the MOE launched the Scholarship Program for Overseas Study in Arts and Design (SPOSAD), allowing students to study at premier universities or intern at top companies for one year. By 2022, a total of 342 students had each been awarded a grant of approximately NT$1.5 million (US$48,387) to cover their tuition fees and living expenses.
Industry Collaboration
Hsu said academic institutions abroad maintain close links with industry organizations, executives and artists from animation and visual effects studios, and these interactions better prepare students to enter the workforce. Implemented by National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (NYUST) in the western Taiwan county, the competitive funding program is open to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in one of five disciplines: architecture and landscape design, digital animation, fashion design, product design and visual communication design. Li Tzu-chiang(李子強), assistant professor at NYUST’s Department of Digital Media Design and SPOSAD’s project leader, said the MOE scholarship seeks outstanding art and design students and sends them overseas for advanced training and international networking. “A scholarship can change the course of a student’s life and open up opportunities previously unavailable or unthinkable, particularly for those without access to finance,” he said. “We expect the recipients to utilize knowledge gained abroad to positively impact Taiwan society and advance the country’s cultural and creative industries.” Hsu’s portfolio led to a scholarship from U.S.-based DreamWorks Animation and an internship at Vancouver-headquartered Sony Pictures’ Imageworks.
Hsu Shih-chien stands in front of a display of his portfolio from Canada’s Sheridan College yearlong program in Digital Creature Animation—Technical Direction, which he attended under the auspices of the SPOSAD initiative. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
Boundless Imagination
Currently, NYUST collaborates with 26 universities and companies in Canada, Japan, the U.S. and European countries including Denmark, France, Germany, Holland and the U.K to implement SPOSAD. Every year the Taiwan university invites representatives from its international partners to study camps, which introduce their courses and teaching methods to prospective students as part of the candidate selection process. “Art and design enhance function and quality of life. They awaken the senses and inform aesthetic experiences in all aspects of everyday life, from getting dressed to arranging our living spaces,” Li said. “Recognizing this, the MOE started the scheme offering generous scholarships to support career development.” The project leader encourages university students to apply for the funding and take full advantage of the chance to broaden their horizons in world-class learning environments with exposure to other cultures.
The result of the SPOSAD initiative is a strong pool of skilled and professional individuals returning to enrich Taiwan. Some recipients go on to work in established companies or run their own studios at home and abroad, while others become film directors or educators. Jack Xu (徐捷中), another beneficiary of the MOE scholarship, went to the U.K. to study product design at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in 2020 while majoring in industrial design at Taipei-based Shih Chien University. “The RCA is the world’s best college of art and design,” Xu said. “Its program ethos explores the meaning of design: what it is and why it’s necessary. These are all questions that prompt critical thinking.” The London college engages with the discipline on multiple levels from the highly conceptual to the deeply practical, with a strong culture of creativity, originality and innovation, he added. Xu had access to various sources of learning outside the classroom, enjoying the diverse and vibrant city architecture, visiting exhibitions and museums and traveling, all while living with a British family. The 360-degree immersion improved his aesthetic sensibility and raised his cross-cultural awareness. “At RCA, I learned a human-centered approach called design thinking that aims to develop solutions to social problems,” the 25-year-old said. “Designers need to take social responsibility in their work and understand the implications of their designs.”
SPOSAD recipient Xu, left, gives a presentation on an experimental project to convert sounds into images at London’s Royal College of Art. (Courtesy of Jack Xu)
Wider Reach
The idea of designing for social impact inspired Xu and influenced his career development. He is currently attending a graduate program at National United University’s Department of Industrial Design in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli City. Xu and his classmates are working with associate professor Hsu Yi-chuan (徐義權) to launch the Loop Far Project using luffa plants to create eco-friendly, sustainable products. Xu said loofahs are a great sustainable alternative to plastic products as they decompose completely and eliminate the problem of landfill waste. The fibers are rough in texture, making them the perfect cleansing and exfoliating tool for use in the kitchen or shower. They also have excellent compressive, flexural, impact and tensile strength properties and thus can be used as containers, egg boxes and cushioning for packing fragile items.
The Loop Far plan was among winners of the 2021 Youth Dream Building Project funded by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Education and Culture Foundation to encourage university students to get involved in social issues. With financial assistance from the foundation, Xu’s team is seeking to expand luffa fiber applications, promote its farming and increase its economic value. “I aspire to become a changemaker and social entrepreneur,” he said. “My ideal is to utilize sustainable materials in design projects to promote the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and address environmental, social and technological challenges.”
Meanwhile, Xu is working as an industrial designer and videographer, helping inventors fine-tune ideas to market products, while running his online business, hozzy.shop. Some of his own inventions have been turned into patented products such as a mobile phone amplifier cum storage box, ergonomic sandals, a seesaw pillow and a snaprella, which is an integration of a selfie stick and umbrella.
Since its launch, SPOSAD has propelled many art and design students like Hsu and Xu to advance their professional growth by broadening both their skillsets and worldviews to become assets to the country’s cultural and creative industries. “Human resource development is key to national competitiveness in the ever-changing global market,” Li said. “The MOE’s scholarship program is a winning strategy for augmenting industry-related education and growing a dynamic creative economy.”
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw