Tsai urges China Medical University and Asia University to pursue world-class excellence and aspire to Nobel Prize breakthroughs

Founder Chang-Hai Tsai joins his family and the CMU–AU System’s administrative leadership for a group photograph after receiving the Ministry of Education’s First-Class Education Professional Medal.

Dr. Chang-Hai Tsai, founder of the China Medical University–Asia University System (CMU–AU System), received the Ministry of Education’s First-Class Education Professional Medal on October 17, 2026, in recognition of more than four decades of service to education. Minister of Education Ying-Yao Cheng personally presented the award. Accepting the honor, Tsai urged China Medical University (CMU) and Asia University (AU) to aim beyond meeting established standards and work toward becoming world-class universities, nurturing more scholars of academy-level distinction and ultimately aspiring to Nobel Prize achievements. He encouraged research teams to pursue bold ideas with confidence. “My responsibility is to support you,” he said.

AU President Jeffrey J. P. Tsai said the founder’s commitment to education, vision and ability to turn ideas into action had created a system linking higher education, smart healthcare, biomedical technology and industrial innovation. Over more than 40 years, these efforts have laid a strong foundation for AU’s international development and interdisciplinary research.

The CMU–AU System Research Excellence Forum under the Higher Education Sprout Project and the medal presentation ceremony took place on the morning of October 17 at the International Conference Hall in the Excellence Building on CMU’s Shuinan Main Campus. Researchers from both universities joined academicians and representatives from medicine and industry to celebrate the honor conferred on Tsai, chairman of CMU and its healthcare system, and founder and chairman of AU and its healthcare system. The event also provided an opportunity to exchange research advances in biomedical technology, artificial intelligence and other emerging fields.

In his address, Minister Cheng said the medal recognized both Tsai’s personal achievements and his sustained contribution to the advancement of Taiwan’s higher education. He described Tsai as an educator with the courage to take risks, the imagination to look beyond present circumstances and the determination to put his ideas into practice.

In his address, Founder Chang-Hai Tsai urges China Medical University and Asia University to become world-class institutions and nurture more scholars of academy-level distinction.

Minister of Education Ying-Yao Cheng commends Founder Chang-Hai Tsai for his outstanding contributions to higher education over more than four decades.

Cheng noted that Tsai began his career as a pediatrician and extended his concern for human life into healthcare, education and biotechnology. His work has connected talent development with clinical medicine, scientific research and industrial innovation. By recruiting leading international scholars, Tsai has strengthened university research, while academic initiatives such as AU’s Nobel Laureate Lecture Series have broadened the international outlook of faculty and students and given young people opportunities to engage with world-renowned scholars.

The minister particularly commended the CMU–AU System’s integration of academic research and clinical medicine. By helping discoveries move from the laboratory into clinical practice, this approach offers patients new treatment possibilities and creates opportunities for Taiwan’s biomedical and biotechnology industries.

Cheng also praised Tsai’s belief in bringing art and aesthetics into university education. AU commissioned internationally acclaimed architect Tadao Ando to design its Museum of Modern Art, while CMU commissioned Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Frank Gehry to design an art museum. Describing campus buildings as “teachers who do not speak,” Cheng emphasized the quiet influence of the learning environment. He invoked the Chinese proverb, “Peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them,” to illustrate the lasting influence of Tsai’s educational commitment.

In his acceptance remarks, Tsai said the honor belonged to all colleagues at CMU, AU and their healthcare systems, whose collective efforts had made their achievements possible. He also thanked his family for their unwavering understanding and support. Recalling his childhood in a small fishing village in Budai, Chiayi County, he said Taiwan’s education system had given him the opportunity to overcome adversity and transform his life. Grateful for the education he received at CMU, he stepped forward when his alma mater needed him. His roles have changed from physician to hospital superintendent and university leader, but his commitment to giving back to his alma mater and to education in Taiwan has remained constant for more than four decades.

Tsai became superintendent of China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) in 1995, leading its development toward medical center status. In 1998, he joined fellow benefactors in funding the initiative to establish Asia University, with a focus on educating professionals in health, information technology and management. In 2001, he became chairman of CMU and its healthcare system, continuing to integrate resources for education, healthcare and research and building a model in which the two universities and their healthcare systems support one another.

To strengthen international academic leadership, Tsai recruited Academia Sinica academicians Wen-Hwa Lee, Mien-Chie Hung and Ann-Shyn Chiang to university leadership roles at CMU. He also invited Nobel laureate Yuan T. Lee to serve as a chair professor and Nobel laureate Randy Schekman to advise the hospital. These appointments have brought international expertise into the system and expanded opportunities for cross-border research and innovation.

Addressing the rapid development of AI, international competition and global change, Tsai said higher education must accelerate interdisciplinary collaboration and actively engage in global research. He called on the CMU–AU System to continue recruiting outstanding scholars and deepen cooperation with leading academic institutions and companies worldwide, giving early-career researchers greater opportunities and preparing a new generation of globally competitive professionals.

Tsai described the medal as both an affirmation and a responsibility. Alongside raising the international academic standing of the two universities, he hopes to nurture more scholars who will be elected as academicians of Academia Sinica or laureates of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, and eventually to support the emergence of Nobel laureates who can contribute to education and society in Taiwan.

Minister of Education Ying-Yao Cheng (left) presents Founder Chang-Hai Tsai (right) with the First-Class Education Professional Medal and certificate, recognizing his longstanding contributions to higher education and talent development.

Minister of Education Ying-Yao Cheng (left) presents Founder Chang-Hai Tsai (right) with the First-Class Education Professional Medal and certificate, recognizing his longstanding contributions to higher education and talent development.

Tsai has long championed the vision of a “Smart AI University & Smart AI Hospital,” promoting the integration of artificial intelligence into higher education, healthcare services and scientific research. Partnerships with Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA support the development of talent in smart healthcare and interdisciplinary innovation.

In healthcare, CMUH received the 2023 Davies Award of Excellence from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The hospital has also achieved the highest score worldwide in the HIMSS Digital Health Indicator (DHI) assessment on two occasions, reflecting its progress in digital transformation and smart healthcare.

The CMU–AU System continues to translate research into practical and commercial applications. Through CMU Bio Park, it connects academic research, clinical expertise and the biomedical industry. It is expanding cooperation with international institutions including Stanford University and Kyoto University in Japan, while working with NVIDIA to advance genomics and drug discovery research and strengthen global biomedical partnerships.

The universities’ research development is also reflected in their international rankings. In the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, CMU placed in the 301–350 band worldwide and ranked second in Taiwan. AU ranked joint third in Taiwan. These results reflect the two institutions’ continuing efforts to strengthen research and international visibility.

Tsai emphasized that research investment should support distinctive, original work with international impact. To stand out globally, universities must define their research strengths and concentrate resources in areas with the potential for major breakthroughs. AI has already become an important research tool, he said, while emerging technologies such as quantum computing may open new possibilities. The CMU–AU System must seize these opportunities by applying AI to biomedical research, drug development and interdisciplinary innovation, improving research efficiency while enabling discoveries that were previously beyond reach.

He set ambitious goals for research teams, urging scholars to build a leading position in Taiwan and progressively strengthen their international standing and influence. Established scholars with substantial research achievements should aim for election to major international academies and continue pursuing world-class breakthroughs. “My responsibility is to support you,” Tsai reiterated, pledging institutional resources and opportunities for teams with the ambition and ability to deliver. He encouraged faculty to challenge existing assumptions and propose forward-looking research, taking the system’s work from Taiwan to the international stage as both universities pursue long-term aspirations for world-class excellence and Nobel Prize achievements.

President Jeffrey J. P. Tsai said AU is integrating AI into teaching, research and talent development as the technology reshapes higher education and industry. Drawing on its strengths in smart healthcare, biomedical technology and interdisciplinary innovation, the university continues to deepen international academic cooperation. The founder’s determination to advance the CMU–AU System into the ranks of the world’s leading universities, he said, will inspire faculty and students to tackle ambitious research and deliver breakthroughs with international impact.

Family members and university leaders celebrate Founder Chang-Hai Tsai’s receipt of the Ministry of Education’s First-Class Education Professional Medal. From left: his daughter, Dr. I-Chen Tsai; his wife, Chia-Chi Lin; Founder Chang-Hai Tsai; AU President Jeffrey J. P. Tsai; Minister of Education Ying-Yao Cheng; and CMU President Ann-Shyn Chiang.