The 2026 (7th) CommonWealth Magazine USR (University Social Responsibility) Award ceremony was held on April 9. This year, 57 schools submitted 222 entries, with 67 awards ultimately presented to 36 winning schools, representing an award rate of only 29.7%. National Formosa University claimed 1 First Prize and 2 Model Awards, ranking first among all universities of science and technology nationwide in number of awards — an outstanding performance.
NFU won the First Prize in the Local Integration Category with its "Shuijing Village Smart Carbon Reduction and Water Conservation Integrated 'Production-Ecology-Life' Social Practice Project," and won Model Awards in the Talent Co-Learning Category and the Sustainability Report Category with "Blossoming Carbon Reduction — Yunlin Flower Industry's Sustainable Transformation and Green Talent Cultivation" and the "National Formosa University 2024 Sustainability Report," respectively. These achievements demonstrate the university's role as a "Yunlin Action Think Tank," responding to local needs and proposing sustainable solutions.
The First Prize-winning project in the Local Integration Category, "Shuijing Village Smart Carbon Reduction and Water Conservation Integrated 'Production-Ecology-Life' Social Practice Project," was led by Hsu Yung-Ho, Dean of the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at NFU. The team has been based long-term in Shuijing Village, Kouhu Township, Yunlin County, systematically building a "Production-Ecology-Life" sustainable model to address local challenges in fishing and agriculture. The project introduced AIoT smart monitoring technology to help local fish farms monitor water quality in real time, and to precisely control water wheels and feeding machines, achieving a 40% power savings and a 5% carbon reduction target for a single fish farm.
In addition to introducing smart technology, the project also promoted the reuse of agricultural waste, using garlic skins to create cultural and creative crafts such as "Garlic-Free Flowers," developing a circular economy model that combines technology application with local culture, forming a sustainability action plan with distinct local characteristics.
The Model Award-winning project in the Talent Co-Learning Category, "Blossoming Carbon Reduction — Yunlin Flower Industry's Sustainable Transformation and Green Talent Cultivation," was led by Lin Chia-Hua, Director of NFU's Office of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biotechnology. The project focuses on the low-carbon transformation needs of Yunlin's flower industry, centering on talent cultivation. Through carbon inventory, sensing technology, and field-based hands-on practice, the project helped young farmers complete carbon inventory training courses, building their concepts of sustainable management and practical capabilities, in order to respond to future agricultural carbon regulations and strengthen industry resilience.
The project also collaborated with National Chiayi University to build a nectar plant corridor and ecological tunnel at Lianshih Elementary School in Huwei Township, establishing an ecological field site for teaching and observation, extending sustainability literacy from the university to elementary schools and communities, further expanding its impact.
In terms of sustainability strategy and university governance, NFU is the first university nationwide to establish its "Office of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility" as a first-level administrative unit. In recent years, the university has continued to institutionalize USR and sustainability governance, having published 3 sustainability reports to date. It has also won the Taiwan Sustainable University Award for two consecutive years —
```html the Silver Award for "2024 University Sustainability Report" and the Bronze Award for "2025 University Sustainability Report" — and this year, its "2024 Sustainability Report" was again recognized with the Model Award in the Sustainability Report Category at this year's CommonWealth USR Awards.This report showcases NFU's practical achievements as a "Yunlin Action Think Tank," including leasing 200 hectares of land to establish a practicum farm, deeply integrating technical and vocational education with local agricultural transformation. It also demonstrates concrete results in areas such as renewable energy generation, environmental protection, and occupational safety and health, achieving zero violations in both environmental and occupational safety compliance — concretely reflecting the university's integrated capabilities in sustainability strategy, governance mechanisms, and practical outcomes.
NFU President Chang Hsin-Liang stated that for NFU, USR represents an important starting point for redefining the role of the university and establishing a governance mindset oriented toward local needs. He noted that the university has been deeply rooted in the local community for a long time, and that local issues are also NFU's issues; how to respond to local needs and propose feasible solutions is an important commitment in NFU's practice of social responsibility.
Chang emphasized that this award is not only recognition of NFU's long-term commitment to USR, but also represents that the university has gradually internalized USR as a core part of its institutional governance. Going forward, the university will continue to survey local needs, integrate its technological expertise and teaching and research capacity, bring education out of the classroom and into the community, truly implement solutions on the ground, and cultivate more young technologists equipped with problem-solving abilities.
