Revenue for Taiwan’s three major science parks contracted 5.07 percent in the first half of the year from the previous year, but the National Science Council (NSC) said that the figure for this year would increase from last year to exceed NT$2 trillion (US$67.57 billion).
Tung Liang-shen (董良生), a science park unit councilor at the council, said yesterday the three science parks reported a combined revenue of NT$908.82 billion during the first half.
That was compared with a combined revenue of NT$957.36 billion a year ago.
Among the three science parks, the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) saw the biggest annual decline, falling 10 percent in the first half to NT$138.94 billion.
That was followed by the Hsinchu Science Park (HSP, 新竹科學園區), which saw revenue drop 5.32 percent to NT$485.17 billion.
The Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP, 南部科學園區) saw a decline of 2.01 percent to NT$284.71 billion.
EURO WOES
The CTSP attributed its reduced revenue to the European debt crisis, which has greatly affected the optoelectronics and semiconductor industries in the park.
The decline in the HSP’s revenue was mostly influenced by a sales drop of 5.8 percent in the integrated circuit (IC) industry, which accounts for about 68 percent of the park’s total revenue, the HSP administration said.
GOOD PROSPECTS
The IC industry reported a 24.3 percent revenue increase in the second quarter from the first quarter, which the HSP administration said implied the industry would show quarterly improvement in the second half.
NSC Deputy Director-General Hocheng Hong (賀陳弘) said the competitiveness of the three parks remained strong and he estimated that the HSP would post a full-year revenue of about NT$1.5 trillion this year, while the CTSP would post NT$300 billion and the STSP NT$610 billion.
“Without accidental or unusual factors, there is a high possibility for the three science parks to see total revenue exceed NT$2 trillion this year,” Tung said.
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