The Ministry of Economic Affairs held the final round of an innovation competition yesterday, created to bolster small and medium businesses.
The two-day "Taiwan Incorporation Competition," saw 45 entrepreneurial ventures displaying their innovations at National Taiwan University Stadium yesterday.
The group was narrowed from a total of 184 firms that registered for the competition two months ago, and boasts a shot at the grand prize of a NT$10 million research subsidy.
The works displayed a variety of innovations, including ideas to make everyday life more convenient.
Chen Yung-jen (陳永任), a sales specialist for Wavequick Technology (波捷科技), and one of the participants in the competition was handing out edible samples, heated using his company's innovation.
"These soft Chinese buns are microwave-heated, even though they taste just like they were heated in a steamer," said Chen, touting his firms microwaveable bags.
The bags are made from three different chemical compounds that automatically adjust the pressure within the bags, Chen said. "Housewives just need to put whatever food they want to cook in the bag, such as seafood, buns, vegetables, and select the proper microwave time and, voila, the meal is done. The flavor of the food is preserved," he said.
Another eye-catching innovation came from Xsense Technology (誠瀚數位科技). The company has devices it claims can scan a damaged human organ three dimensionally and uses cloned cells from the patient to recreate a new organ.
"The technology is in the animal testing stage, but we hope that by 2005, we can proceed with the test on humans," said David Chi (
Another technology on display yesterday was in the area of credit card security.
To prevent fraudulent use of credit cards, Hy Hai (
"Once the system finds a transaction that is not in line with the consumer's spending behavior, it will automatically alert the customer by sending a phone message within 30 seconds," he said.
The system has been tested by several local banks and in the future, the company will collaborate with the National Credit Card Center (
Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Yi-fu (
To conclude the two-day event, judges from the ministry and both academic and business circles will announce the winners later today.
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