Minister without Portfolio Lin Ferng-ching (林逢慶) said yesterday that more than NT$30 billion (US$928.5 million) will be spent on technology development over the next five years to improve people's lives.
"The goal of this project is to make Taiwan more competitive and develop more advanced technology," Lin said at a press conference attended by both Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Lin said that educating future personnel and enticing more overseas professionals to return to Taiwan to contribute to high-tech industries will be the government's main focus.
More details of the plan will be revealed during the annual three-day "technology meeting" which will begin on April 1.
"We need more manpower to work together if we want to make our country more competitive," Lin said.
According to government statistics, 599 highly skilled technicians and professors returned to work in Taiwan from Japan and the US in 2004. That number rose to 656 last year, Lin said, adding that the government has approached 2,690 people in the US and Japan so far this year.
"We believe that more than 600 will come back this year. We are quite confident on that," Lin said.
He said the government will also continue to cement its connections and communications with India's high-tech industries.
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