National Chiayi University (NCYU) is widely recognized for its rich agricultural heritage and its connection to the legendary KANO baseball team. Today, however, this century-old university in southern Taiwan is rapidly gaining international attention for a different reason: its groundbreaking research in smart agriculture, food biotechnology, medicinal plants, and plant-derived exosomes.
Located near the Tropic of Cancer, NCYU has transformed its long-standing strengths in agriculture and life sciences into an interdisciplinary research ecosystem that integrates biotechnology, veterinary medicine, food science, engineering, and translational medicine. Through innovation and industry collaboration, the university is helping shape the future of precision healthcare and sustainable biotechnology.
The enduring KANO spirit inspires scientific excellence
To understand NCYU’s identity, one must look back to 1931, when its predecessor, Chiayi Agriculture and Forestry School, formed the legendary KANO baseball team. Composed of Taiwanese, Indigenous Taiwanese, and Japanese players, the multicultural team overcame overwhelming odds to reach the championship game of Japan’s prestigious National High School Baseball Championship at Koshien.
Their famous motto — “Don’t think about winning; think about never giving up” — has inspired generations and was later immortalized in the acclaimed film KANO.
Nearly a century later, the KANO spirit continues to define NCYU. The determination that once propelled young athletes across baseball fields now drives researchers in advanced laboratories, where perseverance and innovation fuel scientific discovery.
From smart agriculture to functional foods
Building upon Taiwan’s reputation as the “Kingdom of Orchids,” NCYU has become a leading center for smart agricultural technologies. Its research teams have developed advanced orchid breeding techniques, intelligent greenhouse management systems, AIoT-based environmental monitoring platforms, and precision cultivation technologies that enhance both productivity and sustainability.
The university has also expanded into functional food research to address the health challenges of aging societies. By applying biotransformation and fermentation technologies, NCYU scientists have developed bioactive compounds that may help reduce fatigue, regulate blood glucose, and support cognitive health.
These innovations have led to a range of functional foods, oral healthcare products, and specialized nutritional supplements, including clinical nutrition products designed for elderly and critically ill companion animals. Many of these developments have received recognition at international biotechnology exhibitions and invention competitions.
Plant exosomes bridge traditional medicine and precision healthcare
Among NCYU’s most significant scientific achievements is its pioneering work on plant-derived exosomes — also known as extracellular vesicles — and green extraction technologies for medicinal herbs.
Drawing upon Taiwan’s rich botanical resources and the medicinal plant diversity surrounding the Alishan region, researchers have successfully integrated traditional herbal medicine with modern molecular biology. The university has developed a patented green solvent specifically designed to preserve the biological activity of plant-derived exosomes during extraction. Combined with low-temperature and ultrasonic processing, the environmentally friendly technology improves extraction efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.
These nanoscale biological vesicles have demonstrated promising potential in tissue regeneration, wound healing, post-aesthetic treatment recovery, biomedical materials, and precision therapeutic platforms. The breakthrough has opened new possibilities for translating traditional herbal medicine into evidence-based biomedical applications recognized by the international scientific community.
Research from NCYU has been published in leading journals, including Nature Communications, and its achievements in plant and animal sciences have consistently ranked among the world’s top 1% in citation impact according to the Essential Science Indicators (ESI). The university’s innovations have also received multiple National Innovation Awards in Taiwan.
Expanding global partnerships through BioJapan
NCYU’s scientific achievements are increasingly attracting international attention. In 2025, the university represented Taiwan at BioJapan, Asia’s largest biotechnology partnering event, held in Yokohama, Japan.
Led by President Han-Chien Lin, the delegation showcased NCYU’s latest advances in green extraction technologies and plant-derived exosome research. The university’s innovative biomedical applications — including functional health products, medical devices, and precision therapeutic platforms — received strong interest from researchers, biotechnology companies, and healthcare organizations worldwide.
During the exhibition, NCYU established new collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners from Japan, India, and other countries to explore technology transfer, joint research, and commercialization opportunities. These partnerships further demonstrate the university’s growing role in advancing international biomedical innovation.
Rooted in the land, shaping the future of medicine
From its beginnings as an agricultural school in 1919 to its emergence as a center of biomedical innovation in the 21st century, National Chiayi University has continually reinvented itself while remaining firmly rooted in its agricultural heritage.
Today, NCYU is integrating smart agriculture, food biotechnology, regenerative medicine, and precision healthcare into a unified vision of sustainable innovation. Its interdisciplinary research not only advances scientific knowledge but also addresses some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including healthy aging, chronic disease prevention, and sustainable healthcare.
As global interest in green biotechnology and precision medicine continues to grow, National Chiayi University is demonstrating that the enduring KANO spirit has evolved beyond the baseball diamond. It now lives on in laboratories and research centers, where science, innovation, and perseverance are helping build a healthier future for generations to come.
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