First of all, we would like to apologize for our delay in organizing the ACS Institute 2023 due to the complications and the changing regulations of Taiwan’s entry restrictions during the time of the pandemic. The details regarding travel information and visa-related issues should have been released in September but there are several reasons for the delay.
The main reason is the unpredictable changes of policies concerning border control during the COVID period. We have been waiting for the government to remove the mandatory quarantine required for foreign visitors arriving from abroad. However, while the government just announced that the mandatory quarantine is no longer required since October 13, NYCU and its on-campus guest house still forbid foreign visitors to enter within the first 7-day of their arrival. That is the main reason why holding the event in January would be very difficult if we want the majority of participants to attend in person. Another restriction that makes our organization of the Institute difficult is that Taiwan continues to ban the entry of visitors with nationalities of Hong Kong, Macau, and China, even when the entry ban is no longer applied to other nationalities. Given the intense atmosphere with China and the upcoming election in Taiwan, it is obvious that the “Epidemic Prevention Policy” regarding border entry also involves political concerns.
Due to the above troubling restrictions, the organizing committee members have made the decision for postponing the ACS Institute 2023 until August next year. We hope that the postponement of the Institute will allow us to have a majority of participants attend in person, and have a chance for our government to re-open the border for faculty and students from Hong Kong, Macau, and China.
The ACS organizing committee hopes to make sure the event to be held in a situation where all of us would be able to communicate and exchange ideas. We shall inform you of the new schedule as soon as it is confirmed.
The application and registration links will be re-opened when the new event dates are decided.
Again, we apologize for the delayed organization and the decision of postponement. We would like to express our gratitude for your understanding, and are looking forward to seeing you all in Taiwan next year.