SEOUL, February 22 (AJP) - Wang Ruey-yu, known by her English name Sandy Wang, described the establishment of the KAIST-Formosa Biomedical Research Center as a foundational step in a rare cross-border collaboration between Taiwanese industry and South Korean academia.
Speaking in an interview with AJP on February 22, Wang, an executive member of the Formosa Group and chairperson of Formosa Bio, characterized the partnership as a "first seed" for future cooperation.
"This first button is the establishment of the KAIST-Formosa Biomedical Research Center," Sandy Wang said. "Since we have fastened the first button, should we not continue with the second and third?"
The collaboration marks the first time the Taiwan-based conglomerate has entered into such a support and research agreement with a South Korean university.
While Formosa Group operates across diverse industrial sectors, Sandy Wang noted that the initial focus on life sciences was driven by a shared mission to solve critical health challenges.
She explained that her decision to support KAIST was finalized after meeting with Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Head Kim Dae-soo and Professor Choi Min-yi.
"When I asked what they could do best, I heard the answer, 'I can save people,'" Sandy Wang said. "I was able to make a decision easily at the word that I could save people suffering from diseases. I felt there could be no more important plan for social contribution than this."
Sandy Wang identified the leadership of KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung and the university's research infrastructure as decisive factors in selecting the institution as a strategic partner.
She noted that the partnership combines the research capabilities of KAIST with the clinical experience of Formosa’s 12,000-bed Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine.
"The cooperation with KAIST and the support for KAIST were considered significant just by the fact that one more research center was added that could give hope to people suffering from incurable or intractable diseases," Sandy Wang stated.
The partnership is structured as an open research platform designed to link laboratory discoveries with industrial commercialization.
To facilitate this, researchers participating in the joint center have been appointed as specially appointed professors at Chang Gung University and Ming Chi University of Technology in Taiwan.
Sandy Wang emphasized a patient approach to results, stating that she does not intend to be "impatient" about producing immediate research outcomes.
"I plan to provide support calmly without being impatient about producing research results," Wang said. "How to realize that value can be considered after the groundwork is laid."
Beyond biotechnology, the collaboration is expected to expand into other industrial fields, including energy transition and resource circulation.
Chief executives from Formosa Group affiliates have already visited KAIST to identify potential cooperation areas.
Sandy Wang expressed confidence that these exchanges will assist Formosa Group in its strategic shift toward carbon-neutral industries.
"I am confident that if industry-academic cooperation with KAIST is achieved and exchanges are expanded, it will be of great help in finding new paths for the Formosa Group to move forward," Sandy Wang said.
The executive also reflected on the broader implications of the partnership for South Korea and Taiwan, noting that it is very rare for a Taiwanese company to engage in industry-academic cooperation with a South Korean university.
Wang reiterated her commitment to her father’s philosophy that a company must return its profits to the society where it took root.
"They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and you cannot be full with the first spoonful," Wang said. "We have already made an important start together, and I will do my best to cooperate and support this start so it can produce good results."
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