The outlook for Taiwan's biotechnology sector in the second half of this year is encouraging, and investment for the whole of 2004 is expected to exceed the average level in recent years, according to forecasts by a government unit.
The Industrial Technology Information Service (ITIS) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) estimated that investment to be channeled into the domestic industry will top NT$20 billion (US$593.5 million) -- the average level for the last three years -- for the whole of 2004. The ITIS made the estimate on the grounds that investor willingness in the industry is strong, pointing to surveys as proof.
Citing the results of two polls made in the first and the second quarter this year, an ITIS analyst revealed that planned investment levels by companies jumped from an average of NT$4.78 billion to up to NT$9 billion.
At a time when Taiwan's population is rapidly aging and the demand for medication is rising, the analyst expressed her optimism that investment money will flock into the domestic sector to surpass the level of NT$20 billion for the whole year. Looking back to the first half of this year, she claimed that various government policies have also paid off in efforts to promote the domestic industry. For instance, she said, the Science and Technology Advisory Group under the Executive Yuan announced that it will set up a gene databank, taking advantage of Taiwan's multi-ethnic environment, to launch research on diseases in particular related to Chinese people across the globe. The databank will be the first of its kind in the world dedicated to Chinese people, she said.
The private sector has also been in full swing to forge cooperative ventures with foreign enterprises, ranging from new drug development and market exploration, she added.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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