The Ministry of Education (MOE) said Thursday that a second five-year, NT$50 billion (US$1.58 billion) project aimed at encouraging excellence among local universities will be launched in 2011, building on the success of the previous phase. The first phase of the project covered the period from 2005 to 2009, with 12 universities awarded funding. During the period, the investment funneled by these universities in industrial collaboration increased by NT$4.4 billion, the admissions of disadvantaged students rose by 160 percent, the number of international students enrolled in degree programs jumped by 41 percent, and the number of internationally published research papers was up 51 percent, the MOE said. In terms of the performance in internationalization, the number of students going overseas for student exchange programs increased by 106.08 percent, from 625 in 2004 to 1,288 in 2009. While the number of courses taught entirely in English for foreign students rose by 103.63 percent, from 2,013 to 4,099, the number of foreign formal and exchange students was up 90.21 percent, from 3,075 people to 5,849 people. In terms of research results, the number of frequently cited papers published in the last decade jumped by 109.52 percent, from 294 pieces to 616 pieces. The number of full-time teachers who are members of research institutes or important international societies grew by 107.35 percent, from, 245 to 508. Meanwhile, the number of excellent teachers and research fellows recruited soared by 334 percent, from 182 to 1,276. In terms of industrial collaboration, the sponsorship provided by the business sector for collaboration projects increased by 16.15 percent, the revenue from intellectual property rights surged by 165.58 percent, and the number of patents obtained and new inventions rose by 77.34 percent, according to the MOE. 