YunTech Achieves Outstanding Results at the 2026 Asia-Pacific and Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards, Winning Two Gold, One Silver, and One Bronze Awards and Earning Further Recognition for Its Sustainability Initiatives
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech) has long regarded sustainable development and social practice as key pillars of its institutional development. The university integrates the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into university governance, teaching and research, and local engagement, while continuously combining technological innovation with local needs to promote concrete and impactful sustainability initiatives. At the 2026 5th Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Awards (APSAA) and the 2026 6th Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards (TSAA), organized by the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), YunTech received two Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze Awards. The winning initiatives span cultural preservation, smart water resource management, rural resilience, and cultural revitalization, demonstrating the university’s diverse achievements in sustainability. The awards ceremony was held on August 27 at Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center.
At the Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Awards, the team led by Professors Shyh-Huei Hwang and Jui-Long Hsieh received a Gold Award for “Preservation, Cultural Interpretation, and Promotion of Temple Heritage in Xiluo” (SDG 11). Through cultural preservation, interpretation, and promotion, the initiative strengthens the transmission of Xiluo’s temple cultural heritage and local identity, demonstrating the university’s commitment to preserving local culture through academic expertise and engagement.
At the Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards, three YunTech initiatives received awards. The team led by Professor Chih-Long Pan received a Gold Award for “AI Smart Circular Water Management” (SDG 6), applying artificial intelligence and smart technologies to improve the efficiency of water resource recycling and reuse. The team led by Professors Kuo-Ting Fang and Wen-Yu Liu received a Silver Award for “Building Rural Resilience through Tea-Based Community Engagement” (SDG 11), bringing together local industries, communities, and university resources to strengthen rural resilience and local development. The team led by Professor Han-Teng Weng received a Bronze Award for “ACG Cultural Revitalization in Dounan” (SDG 4), integrating education, culture, and local revitalization to encourage young people to participate in community-based initiatives.
The four award-winning initiatives address SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. From technological applications to cultural preservation, they demonstrate YunTech’s achievements in interdisciplinary integration and local engagement. In recent years, YunTech has also received recognition for its commitment to university social responsibility, sustainable development, and overall institutional performance. In 2026, YunTech retained its No. 1 ranking among public universities of science and technology in CommonWealth Magazine’s University Citizenship Award. In the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, YunTech was ranked among the world’s top 101–200 universities and retained its position as the No. 1 university of science and technology in Taiwan.
YunTech President Professor Chang-Yu Chang stated that the university has adopted five core strategies—“diversified learning, commercialization of research, sustainable resources, internationalized branding, and agile decision-making”—together with its “3T” strategy of “Tradition, Transformation, and Transition.” By continuously deepening industry-academia linkages and interdisciplinary collaboration, YunTech aims to enhance institutional governance and social impact while steadily advancing toward its vision of becoming “a responsible smart university driven by technological research and development and innovative services.”
In response to the challenges of declining birth rates and intensifying global competition, YunTech will continue to pursue innovation and breakthroughs as key drivers of development. The university will further strengthen industry-academia collaboration and the application of AI technologies, cultivate professionals with global competitiveness, and integrate the strengths of teaching, research, and local engagement to expand its social impact in sustainable development and smart governance.
YunTech Vice President Shyh-Huei Huang (right) accepts the award on behalf of the university.
Group photo of the award-winning teams.
Deputy Minister Kuo-Wei Liu of the Ministry of Education visits YunTech’s exhibition booth.
Members of the award-winning teams pose for a photo at YunTech’s booth at the Asia-Pacific Sustainability Expo.
YunTech’s Center for Sustainable Development and Social Practice Showcases Sustainability Initiatives at the Sustainability Expo
Organizing Unit: Center for Sustainable Development and Social Practice
Director: Li-Shu Lu
Contact Person: Yi-Hua Chen
Telephone: (05) 534-2601 ext. 2484
※The above is an AI-generated translation and may not be 100% accurate. For reference only — please double-check any important details.