The New Taipei City Government hosted the "2026 New Taipei City Drone Exhibition & Forum" on September 30, bringing together representatives from government, industry, and academia to exchange insights on drone industry development trends. Distinguished guests included New Taipei City Mayor Yu-Ih Hou and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene. Professor Fu-Yuen Hsiao of Tamkang University's Department of Aerospace Engineering was the only academic representative. He was invited to deliver a keynote presentation titled "Cultivating Key Talent for the Drone Industry Through Aerospace Technology Education" and participate in a panel discussion, sharing how universities can develop engineering talent that meets industry needs amid the rapid growth of the drone industry and low-altitude economy.

In his remarks, Mayor Hou noted that New Taipei City has a strong foundation in AI, information and communications technology, and manufacturing. Looking ahead, the city plans to further integrate resources from Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan to jointly develop a drone industry supply chain across northern Taiwan. This initiative aligns with the New Taipei City Government's recent policies to promote drone industry clusters and cross-municipal collaboration. Notably, Prof. Hsiao was the only forum participant specifically mentioned by Mayor Hou during his remarks, highlighting the recognition of TKU's longstanding commitment to drone research and talent development.

During his presentation, Prof. Hsiao pointed out that as the drone industry continues to expand rapidly, future competitiveness will depend not only on technology and market opportunities but also on the ability to cultivate a sufficient pool of engineering professionals with interdisciplinary integration skills. He emphasized, "What the industry needs is not merely drone operators, but complete engineering teams capable of integrating aircraft design, avionics, automatic control, and systems engineering to transform technology into reliable products." He also noted that Tamkang University has recently integrated resources from electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, and AI and secured nearly NT$30 million in funding from the Ministry of Education for a three-year project. Tamkang is now actively developing a drone talent training hub in northern Taiwan.

Hsiao further stated, "For university education to truly align with industry needs, it must move beyond traditional classroom instruction toward project-based and mission-oriented learning, enabling students to develop sound engineering judgment through real-world problems, actual hardware, and hands-on flight experience." He explained that Tamkang University's Department of Aerospace Engineering has long emphasized practical training and systems integration as the core of its talent development approach. Since its establishment in 1995, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Laboratory has remained dedicated to drone education and research, giving students opportunities to gain experience in solving real-world engineering challenges through hands-on design, fabrication, testing, and flight operations.

As New Taipei City actively works to connect Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan in developing the drone industry, Hsiao strongly advocated for Tamkang University as an ideal partner for industry–academia collaboration. Located in New Taipei City, Tamkang has extensive expertise in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, AI, and interdisciplinary engineering, positioning it well to support the region's industrial development. He also emphasized that TKU's Department of Aerospace Engineering will continue cultivating a new generation of aerospace engineers equipped with systems integration expertise and practical engineering skills through academic courses, laboratory research, industry–academia partnerships, and hands-on flight training, thereby responding to the growing demand for skilled professionals in Taiwan's rapidly expanding drone industry.

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