NTHU's research and development focus on advanced basic sciences, applied sciences and collaboration with industry. Advanced research centers serve very important roles in promoting interdiscipline long term projects. Currently, such research centers include (1) Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center, (2) Center for Nanotechnology, Materials Science, and Microsystems, (3) Computer and Communication Research Center, (4) Biomedical Science and Engineering Center, (5) Scientific Instrument Center, (6) Precious Instrument Center, (7) National Center for Theoretical Sciences, (8) IC Design Technology Center, (9) Center for Science, Technology and Society, (10) NTHU-ITRI Joint Research Center, (11) Center for Photonics Research, (12) Center for Contemporary China, (13) Higher Education Research Center, (14) Energy and Environmental Research Center, (15) Brain Research Center, (16) Center for Fundamental Science Research, (17) Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences. Apart from these centers, we have also established the Division of Government and Industry Collaboration, the Division of Intellectual Property and Technology Licensing and the Center for Innovation Incubation, to handle the intellectual properties, the technology transfers and the research cooperation with industry.

Our university is actively promoting cutting-edge researches and supporting interdisciplinary, international collaboration projects. Our current investigation topics include neural structure, biomedical technology, boron neutron capture therapy, nano materials, ultra-high speed broadband networks, the revolutions of the celestial spheres, multiculturalism of monsoon Asia, etc. We have also built the first 3D drosophila brain database in the world, and are undertaking research on the causes of Alzheimer's disease. These research results were published in top journals such as Science, Nature, and Cell . In the past four years, the number of high cited papers has been increased by 56%. Furthermore, like those in the fields of science, engineering and computer science, the citations of the papers in the fields of biology and biochemistry and clinical medicine have also reached top 1% of the world ranking in 2009 and 2010. On average, each faculty publishes 2.5 papers per year which also has reached the standard of a worldclass university.

The research results of our faculty members are often published in world leading journals. Taking the Science Citation Index as an example, the number of papers published by our faculty stands at the forefront of all universities in Taiwan. Furthermore, ever since the National Science Council established the Outstanding Research Award in 1985, our faculty members have won the largest number of such awards. In natural sciences and engineering, we won one-fifth of the total. Our research excellence is also recognized by the Ministry of Education when it granted a lion's share of the prestigious Academic Awards and National Chair Professorships to our faculty members year after year.

In the past three years, we have invited Delta Electronics Inc., Mediatek Inc., and Novatek Microelectronics Corp. to set up joint research centers in the university. Moreover, we cooperate with Chang Gung Medical Memorial Hospital, China Medical University (Taiwan) and Mackay Memorial Hospital on biomedical projects.