2025/09 Life Sciences Baltics 2025
From September 13 to 20, 2025, the Center was invited to participate in an international exchange and study visit organized by Lithuania’s Innovation Agency. Participants from Taiwan, Latvia, Estonia, Germany, and other countries visited local biomedical and academic research institutions to explore opportunities for international exchange and collaboration.
The Center for High-Value Biomaterials Research and Commercialization was represented by its Director, Distinguished Professor Hsu-Wei Fang, and Assistant Research Professor Chen-Ying Su. Through on-site visits and discussions, they gained deeper insights into Lithuania’s current developments in biomedical research, technological innovation, and international collaboration.
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During the visit, Distinguished Professor Hsu-Wei Fang also participated in the “Lithuania-Taiwan Collaboration” forum, where he delivered a presentation entitled “Beginning with the End in Mind: Rapid Commercialization of Biomaterials.” He shared the Center’s accumulated research capabilities and practical achievements in the rapid commercialization of medical devices, with the aim of strengthening connections among technology development, industry, and the market, while creating mutually beneficial opportunities for future collaboration.
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During the event, Constance Hsueh-hong Wang, Representative of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, also attended and listened to presentations by Director Hsu-Wei Fang and the Chairperson of WEECRO Biomedical Co., Ltd., a spin-off startup from the Center, who introduced their research achievements and technological applications. Representative Wang also delivered remarks at the opening reception of the Taiwan Pavilion and exchanged views with distinguished guests, including the Vice Minister of Health of Lithuania, the Director of Innovation Development at the Innovation Agency, and the President of the biotechnology association.
The opening reception brought together participants from government, industry, and academia in both Taiwan and Lithuania. Through face-to-face interaction and discussion, the event further enhanced mutual understanding of developments and potential collaboration opportunities in the biomedical industry.
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In addition to participating in the forum and industry exchanges, the Center also conducted an academic visit to the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences at Vilnius University. During the visit, the delegation met with Prof. Aleksej Zarkov, who had spent three months at the Center in 2024 as a visiting researcher, and Prof. Aivaras Kareiva, who has maintained a long-term collaboration with Professor Thomas Chung-Kuang Yang of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at National Taipei University of Technology. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on the outcomes of previous exchanges, student training, and potential directions for future research collaboration.
Prof. Kareiva noted that his doctoral student, Justina, accompanied Prof. Zarkov to the Center for a three-month exchange in 2024. During her stay, she not only learned techniques related to plant extraction but also used her free time to explore different parts of Taiwan, an experience that greatly broadened her horizons. Prof. Kareiva is scheduled to visit National Taipei University of Technology in November 2025, when he will have further opportunities to engage with other faculty members and researchers at the Center and gain a deeper understanding of its research capabilities in biomaterials development and commercialization.
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The delegation also visited the student laboratories at the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences of Vilnius University, as well as Prof. Zarkov’s laboratory.
The laboratories reflect the Faculty’s rich academic heritage, combining a traditional research environment with modern scientific equipment and demonstrating the depth of knowledge and research experience accumulated over the years.
Through this visit, the Center not only strengthened its existing relationships with academic partners in Lithuania but also further connected research collaboration, talent development, and biomedical commercialization. These exchanges have laid a stronger foundation for future international collaboration between Taiwan and Lithuania in the field of biomaterials.
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