Almost one year after Dr. Jutta von Maurice, Executive Director of Research at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi), had first introduced the NEPS in Taipeh, the Director of the Center for Educational Research and Evaluation at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipeh (Taiwan), Prof. Li-Yun Wang, organized a 3-day workshop. At the heart of the workshop were the many and varied ways of applying NEPS data as well as the compatibility with other internationally comparative research questions. The Operational Manager of the Research Data Center of LIfBi (RDC LIfBi), Dr. Daniel Fuß, gave a number of talks explaining the structure of the NEPS data—which are available as a Scientific Use File—the wide spectrum of topics covered by the NEPS study, the comprehensive documentation material, as well as the different modes of data access. In addition, the potential of the data was demonstrated by carrying out an exemplary analysis together with interested participants, while others had the opportunity to register for RemoteNEPS access via keystroke biometrics—despite some technical difficulties. Hence, scientists based in as far as East Asia will soon be carrying out research with NEPS data as well.

Alongside scientific staff and Ph.D. students, a large number of professors from different universities and research institutions participated in this interdisciplinary workshop. Among these international guests were representatives of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Henry-Luce Foundation in New York, as well as the University of Mississippi.

The workshop also featured an intense exchange of experiences with our colleagues in Taipeh, who to some extent conduct and plan very similar survey projects in Taiwan. Among other things, the possibilities were discussed of using instrumentation from the NEPS surveys in order to be able to investigate relevant research questions and to make them internationally comparable. Moreover, workshop participants showed great interest in further intensifying the cooperation with LIfBi through research visits to Bamberg. For this purpose, specific options for funding grants as part of exchange programs were discussed during an additionally arranged meeting with the German representative of the German Academic Exchange Service in Taiwan, Dr. Stefanie Eschenlohr.