As the oldest and most prestigious university in Taiwan, National Taiwan University has since its establishment made remarkable efforts to give balanced attention to Humanities, Social Sciences, Biosciences, and Physical Sciences and enjoyed the fame of academic diversification for many years.

    In order to promote innovative research on Humanities and Social Sciences, after two years of preparation, NTU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences was established on October 18, 2005.

    An important feature that marks the difference of this newly established institute from other research organizations is its emphasis on "de-centralization." Most research organizations would focus on specific fields of research, or run related affairs from a single, centralized point of view. This centralizing tendency has helped these institutes perform brilliantly in specific research areas. However, the centralization also makes it hard for these institutes to develop broader research scope. With this pitfall of "centralization" in mind, NTU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences differs from these research centers in that it encourages free academic dialogues and exchanges between the Humanities, Social Sciences, and even Natural Sciences. NTU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences makes innovative attempts and has become the most representative research organization in Humanities and Social Sciences in Taiwan.

    NTU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences is mainly designed to serve as a platform for integration, dialogue, and cooperation of different academic interests. It also plays an important role in encouraging and assisting innovative and potentially fruitful researches, which may not receive due attention now in departments and institutes of NTU.

    NTU Vice President for Administrative Affairs, Bau Tzong-Ho, is the leader of NTU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences. According to Bau, in the beginning, NTU Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences will continue to follow the steps of the "Program for Promoting Academic Excellence of University", and industriously promote studies on the classics, culture, democracy, and legal system of East Asia and Globalization.