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Biomedical park aiming to put nation on the map

The National Science Council yesterday inaugurated the Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park with the aim of putting Taiwan on the map with advanced biotechnology and rejuvenating the nation's economy.

With the post-war baby boom generation starting to go into retirement, the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry is estimated to represent a US$200 billion market worldwide, said Hsinchu Science Park administration director-general Huang Der-ray (黃得瑞), who will also be in charge of the biomedical park.

"Taiwan's current market share in these industries is a mere 0.5 percent, but with the Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park we are banking on adding NT$100 billion [US$3.2 billion] to the nation's annual revenue," he said.

Several factors would contribute to creating a hub for domestic and international biotechnology as well as high-end healthcare equipment in the park, where pharmaceutical companies could congregate and lead industries in other parts of the nation, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said at the opening ceremony.

"The development of the park testifies to the government's determination to invigorate Taiwan's economy and develop high-tech industries, particularly those related to biotechnology," he said.

The National Development Fund has allocated NT$30 billion as investment seed money for firms investing in the new biotechnology park, he said.

With the legislature's approval of the Biotech and New Pharmaceutical Development Act (生技新藥產業發展條例) last June, business owners at the park would enjoy extremely favorable tax breaks and rent control policies, which could foster growth in the time-and-money-consuming industry, he said.

Huang said the park would be home to a comprehensive cluster of biotechnological establishments.

In addition to private companies, the government plans to build an incubation center for innovation development and talent training, a world-class medical center developed under a build-operate-transfer model, a Centers for Disease Control office and an exhibition center, he said.

"The Hsinchu Science Park administration will also encourage world-leading firms to set up shop in the biomedical park, banking on the successes we have achieved at the Hsinchu Science Park," Huang said.

"Whenever a new medicine or innovation is developed, we will have trained personnel to walk the companies through FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] or CE [a product marking applying to products regulated by the European Commission's health standards] certification procedures to help open up international markets," he said.

The park has the geographic advantage of being located between the Hsinchu and the Mid-Taiwan Science Parks, in addition to being right next to both the Sun Yat-sen Freeway and the Taiwan High Speed Rail Hsinchu station, which would also help to draw investors' attention, he said.

"So far we have spoken to a couple of dozen interested firms, both foreign and domestic, about the possibility of setting up shop here," Huang said.

He said that plant construction could start immediately, and, with 82 hectares of land in reserve, the 38-hectare park had ample room for expansion.

The Hsinchu Science Park administration is also looking to open Miaoli County's Tongluo Science Park, which is targeting low-pollution, high-tech industries such as microchip design, information technology and solar energy, Huang said.

Talks have been initiated with US Internet giant Google, although a final agreement has not been reached, he said.

"With forest conservation areas covering 140 hectares of the 350-hectare park, the environmental impact review regulations are much more stringent here than in other science parks," Huang said.

"A biking trail girding the park, hiking trails into the forest conservation areas ... and the view from the park looking out to a sea of green forests will no doubt make the Tongluo park the most eco-friendly high-tech park in Taiwan," he said.
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