The American Institute in Taiwan and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs have announced the 2026 TechGirls program, an international summer exchange initiative aimed at encouraging young women to pursue education and careers in science and technology.
The upcoming program will run for 23 days starting in July 2026. Participants will attend a technology and computer camp at Virginia Tech, followed by visits to several U.S. cities including Austin, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, or Seattle. The experience also includes a seven-month mentoring component in Taiwan before and after the exchange period. After returning home, participants are expected to share their knowledge with peers and carry out community-based projects.
According to the announcement: "TechGirls is an international summer exchange program designed to empower and inspire young women from around the world to pursue education and careers in science and technology."
Eligible applicants must be girls from Taiwan aged between 15 and 17 as of July 11, 2026. They should have advanced skills or strong interest in STEM fields, intend to continue their studies or work in these areas—especially technology—and possess strong English language abilities. Applicants must also be committed to completing a community project upon return and meet J-1 visa requirements.
Preference will be given to those with limited or no prior experience in the United States; individuals who have participated in ECA exchange programs within the last three years are not eligible. The program encourages applications from diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities.
Applications must be submitted online through the Eligibility and Application – TechGirls (techgirlsglobal.org) page by January 20, 2026 at noon Eastern Time (January 21 at 1:00 a.m. Taiwan Time), or earlier if the cap of 125 completed applications per country is reached.
The organizers emphasized that only original work is accepted for application essays: "All answers in the application, including written responses to essays, must be your own original work, based on your own creativity and effort, without any aid or assistance from others or from any technological tools (including, but not limited to, translation services and editing software tools)."
They further stated: "Candidates are prohibited from using any artificial intelligence (AI) tool, including but not limited to ChatGPT, to aid in their written responses. The review panel reserves the right to discontinue any individual’s candidacy if found to have used AI tools in the application process."
No exceptions will be made once each country's limit has been reached.