The Ministry of Science and Technology on Tuesday signed an agreement with Stanford University in California to cooperate in talent cultivation as part of an effort to encourage young Taiwanese adults to pursue careers or attend academic exchange programs in Silicon Valley.
Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基), who is on a 10-day visit to the US, signed the agreement with a university representative.
He said he would also sign similar pacts with the University of California, Berkeley, and 20 US start-ups to launch the other cooperation projects.
The scheme aims to help Taiwanese professionals learn about innovation in Silicon Valley and share their experiences in Taiwan, Chen said.
According to the cooperation plan, four Taiwanese academics in the areas of materials science, biomedical engineering, energy and environment are to spend at least one year at Stanford University to take part in research experiments, said Chang Ying-chih (張瑛芝), a visiting professor at the university.
Chen said he also aims at seeking closer exchanges between Taiwan and Silicon Valley in the area of artificial intelligence (AI).
Chen led a delegation to visit the California offices of IBM and Intel, as well as several local start-ups to discuss developments in AI.
Chen is scheduled to visit Boston before returning home on Monday next week.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it