Programs of VIsi Institute Taiwan

The NCKU Publication and Cultural Creative Marketing Center (the Center), which houses VIsi Institute Taiwan, is the department of the Foundation responsible mainly for academic book publication, development of cultural creative merchandise, designing services, commercialization of R&D technology, and online shopping platform construction.

In recent years the Foundation has been working towards a more diversified form of operation and development, with the Center granted by the government based on an increase in the number of registered service items pursuant to Article 30 of the Value-Added and Non-Value-Added Business Tax Act, including general and digital book publication, and online shopping. Hopefully, local institutions of higher education in Taiwan, such as National Cheng Kung University, may use the financial support of the Foundation to expand applications of their research achievements in terms of book publication, technology, service and knowledge.

Meanwhile, VIsi Institute Taiwan of the Center allows more young people with great potential and high ideals the opportunities and abilities to compete globally in today’s online era. With the help of VIsi, teams of makers or individuals are better able to pursue their new businesses with a higher rate of success at a lower cost with regard to their initial business development, operation and marketing.

The Foundation also serves as a coordinator of investment for maker projects, and will expand its involvement in the emerging crowd-funding platforms to help makers solicit financial support from enterprises for their business innovation and creative projects. For starting makers, a crowd-funding platform functions as a site for fundraising, marketing and data collection with regard to consumer needs.

VIsi Institute Taiwan is currently working to carry out the following programs:

I. Maker Movement Lecture Workshop Program

1. VIsi Institute Taiwan works to organize various lecture workshops at its workshop

venue every week on a regular basis. A wide range of topics have been featured in past workshop programs, including the maker movement itself, cultural creativity, mechatronics, renewable energy environmental protection, healthcare, business models, and research. A weekly schedule is posted on the Center’s website for online registration and promotion.        

2. VIsi Institute Taiwan works to gather and expand its pool of lecturers/instructors to offer practical courses and lectures for its workshop program. With the help of these lecturers/instructors, workshop participants are expected to realize their concepts gradually and concretely through the use of various equipment, digital and traditional manufacturing tools in the Center (such as 3D printer, laser cutter, computers and processing tools).

3. The maker movement lecture workshop program is oriented mainly towards the improvement of human life and welfare, with its courses featuring topics on digital publishing, action Apps, cultural creative products, R&D technology commercialization, programming, mechatronics, and digital manufacturing.

4. Information about lectures and workshops is publicized on the website of the Center at http://ccmc.web2.ncku.edu.tw/bin/home.php. Members of the public are welcome to register for participation.

II. Maker Movement Social Community Management

1.      The Center works with the Research and Services Headquarters of NCKU on the establishment of student societies to promote education and cultivate seed instructors for the maker movement. It encourages those interested in the maker movement, such as NCKU students, faculty and staff members, alumni, and members of the public, to participate in the workshop program of VIsi Institute Taiwan to realize their creative and career goals.

2. The Center works to organize exchange conferences of makers to share knowledge and learn from each other, as a part of its effort to forge a hands-on innovative culture in the maker movement community. Meanwhile, with the guidance of its seed instructors, incumbent and prospective makers are better able to understand the current trends of various technologies, form new maker teams, and share information and friendship on the Facebook page of the Center at https://www.facebook.com/ncku.ccmc.

3. The Foundation works to attract more makers aspiring to achieve self-fulfillment into its maker movement social community through the annual Maker Faire in Tainan. It aims to help this community become an important one of its kind in Taiwan.

4. The Foundation will organize regular tours for members of its maker movement social community to visit maker the satellite bases of its maker movement alliance, allowing them to observe various machine tools and acquire access to more resources. Through this interdisciplinary cooperation and knowledge-sharing model, the Foundation plans to develop its maker movement social community into one with more distinctive characteristics.

III.   Business Innovation and Creation Supporting Program

1. VIsi Institute Taiwan works in compliance with relevant government policies to promote and stimulate business innovation and creation. It serves to fulfill the social responsibility of the Foundation by providing young people and teams aspiring to create new businesses with the opportunities to transform their creativity, concepts or innovations into valuable products or services that are available for sale, and thus raise the competitiveness of business operations. Any proposed maker projects approved by the review committee of the Foundation will be implemented with a mentor guidance system and a budget acquired with the help of the Foundation, thus supporting the initial expenditure of such projects.

2. Any products produced from the commercialization of innovations or new technologies resulting from the operation of VIsi Institute Taiwan and its business innovation and creation projects will be exhibited in the brick-and-mortar store of the Center, and launched via online and mobile shopping channels to enable a market survey. If the targeted consumers respond well to a specific product, the Foundation will help the makers with its mass production and sale, and then help the makers to set up a new firm with a board of directors.

3. The Business Innovation and Creation Supporting Program is a long-standing program that the Foundation offers to help innovative and creative teams, makers and members of the public. The Foundation encourages you to submit your business innovation and creation projects to VIsi Institute Taiwan, allowing it to help you realize your business goals.

4. Please submit your business innovation/creation project to the webpage of the NCKU Research and Development Foundation at http://ckhp.ncku.edu.tw/workshop.htm.