Chen asks foreigners for help in building biotech

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) teamed up yesterday with Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), head of Taiwan's top research institute, to attract overseas researchers to help achieve the nation's goal of developing a world-class biotechnology sector.

Calling biotechnology "the most important industry to Taiwan's future economic development," Chen told delegates attending the ninth Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America International Symposium to come to Taiwan and help build the country's biotech industry.

"So many great scholars have come to Taiwan for this event, this shows Taiwan's ability to attract people," Chen said during the opening ceremony yesterday at Academia Sinica.

The last time officials in Taiwan zeroed in so closely on an industry was in the 1980s, to build Taiwan's semiconductor prowess. Through tax incentives, government cash and the establishment of science parks, officials drew to Taiwan overseas Chinese such as Morris Chang (張忠謀), founder and chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) the world's largest contract manufacturer of microchips.

In biotechnology, officials say Taiwan is hindered by its lack of human resources. The president pointed out that only around 4,000 researchers are currently working in biotechnology-related fields in Taiwan.

"For a developed nation, this is not very good, because in some countries, one big university or pharmaceutical firm might employ 3,000 or 4,000 or more researchers," he said.

The president of the National Health Research Institute, Wu Cheng-wen (吳成文), said his organization has already invited more than 100 researchers to Taiwan in an attempt to convince them to help build the local biotech industry.

Wu said drawing researchers from abroad is necessary, as is the need to get more young Taiwanese students to study abroad in biotech-related fields.

"If we don't get more young people to go overseas to study, Taiwan will run into great difficulties [in the future]," Wu said.

Chen said that since Taiwan is such a small place, building better ties with overseas groups like the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America is imperative.

The five-day symposium attempts to do just that. Working groups of scholars will attend lectures and panel discussions on a number of health issues affecting ethnic Chinese people throughout Asia, including hepatitis, cancers common among ethnic Chinese and a number of biotechnology issues.

One delegate to the symposium, Yale University professor Cheng Yung-chi (鄭永齊), said Taiwan needs to draw people from all over the world into the local industry, not just ethnic Chinese.

"Taiwan must build a global vision," he said.

Lee, the head of Academia Sinica and winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, backed the president's biotech drive.

"There's nothing too difficult to overcome so long as you are willing to take the challenge," Lee said, citing an old Chinese proverb. "For those of you that want to take this challenge, Taiwan is the place."

Academia Sinica has been a key force behind moves to draw biotech researchers to Taiwan over the past five years.