LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – The NTU-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Program for Global Agriculture Technology and Genomic Science (Global ATGS) is now accepting applications until 20 November 2020 for AY 2021-2022.
The joint scholarship between National Taiwan University (NTU) and SEARCA provides support for graduate studies under the Master Program in Global ATGS offered by the International College of NTU. The program aims to provide deeper understanding on smart farming technology, genome science research, and breeding science and technology. It combines an interdisciplinary curriculum with opportunities for internship and field visits to develop global bio-agricultural talents who are responsive to the needs of the agriculture sector and possess advance knowledge and practical skills on contemporary agriculture.
Keystone courses of the academic program include global agriculture technology foresight, mathematical method for life science, and scientific writing. Under Digital Agriculture Technology, students will explore the application of blockchain technology in agriculture, process control for smart farming, plant factory, smart technology applied to livestock production, and agriculture waste treatment engineering. In Genome Science, discussions will be on genetics and genomics, crop genomic breeding, advanced plant molecular biology, core biotechnology: DNA, RNA, and protein, special topics in poultry production, and medicine and products processing. For Breeding Science and Technology, studies will be on the agriculture of Taiwan, introduction to bioinformatics, crop modeling, and plant phenotyping.
The program, offered in English, requires students to finish their thesis and at least 24 credits of coursework which includes 12 credits each of compulsory and elective courses. The first batch of NTU-SEARCA scholars awarded in the pilot call will start their studies in August 2020.
Besides this collaboration on a joint scholarship, SEARCA and NTU have worked together in different activities as both institutions are also members of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC). NTU hosted the previous 32nd UC Executive Board Meeting in November 2019 and will be hosting the 2nd Faculty Forum on 9-10 November 2020.
For more information about the program, visit the Global ATGS page. Details about the joint scholarship such as requirements, timeline of application, and scholarship entitlements are available here.