Five universities yesterday said they would establish a biotech business incubator at the Shilin-Beitou Technology Park in New Taipei City.
The incubator would the biggest of its kind in northern Taiwan and provide the park, which is still under development, with skilled workers, they said.
The universities are National Yang Ming University, Tatung University, Mackay Medical College, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science, and Ming Chuan University’s Innovation and Incubation Center.
Photo courtesy of National Yang Ming University
The park is to be the third major science park in northern Taiwan after the Neihu Science Park and Nangang Software Park, and it is expected to have the largest assemblage of biotech industries, achieving economies of scale, the universities said.
The universities would be able to greatly contribute to research and development efforts at the incubator, as they are located close to the park, they added.
The proximity would help consolidate research and development resources at the park and potentially accelerate the rate of investment by businesses, the schools added.
Yang Ming University vice president Yang Muh-hwa (楊慕華) said the university’s incubator center has more than 10 years of experience, and has helped foster more than 100 start-ups.
The center focuses on the biomedical industry, and specifically on collaborations between academia and industry, Yang said, adding that the center has helped foster such firms as Chinan Biomedical Technology (錫安生技) and Bened Biomedical (益福生醫), and has seen a 50 percent increase in patent applications.
Biomedicine is knowledge-intensive and investments tend to have high risks and overhead, but high returns, Yang said.
Collaboration and integration of resources are needed to maximize profits, he added.
“We hope the research and development provided by the schools and translated into commercial value by the industries, will benefit society,” Yang said.
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net