Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday gave the green light to the Pilot Industries Research, Development and Upgrade Program, which aims to transform the nation into a high-tech research and development center through collaboration between local and foreign companies, many of which are pulling out of China amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program was formulated in the wake of a US-China trade dispute and seeks to capitalize on the exodus of companies from China, just as Washington and Tokyo have pledged capital to subsidize firms moving their operations from China to the US and Japan, Ministry of Economic Affairs Department of Industrial Technology Director-General Lo Ta-sheng (羅達生) said.
To join the program, an international company must submit a proposal that aims to nurture aspiring local firms; help them assume a leading role in the global market; create strategic products, services or operating models; facilitate cross-domain integration; or establish industrial supply chains or clusters, Lo said.
Photo: CNA
Precedence would be given to projects concerned with the research and development, and innovations in the fields of artificial intelligence, 5G and next-generation semiconductors to help local companies better adapt to global trends in the high-tech industry, he said.
Applicants would be required to pay for at least half of the research and development costs, while the government would provide the rest of the required capital, he added.
Through the program, the government hopes to attract NT$40 billion (US$1.34 billion) in annual investment for the research and development of innovative technologies, cultivate 6,350 research and development professionals and set the stage for youth entrepreneurship, Lo said.
Local firms will hopefully form closer partnerships with international counterparts, helping domestic companies and talent become innovators, rather than followers and engineers, he said.
Taiwan has a robust environment for innovation, ranking third in the Asia-Pacific region in the International Institute for Management Development’s World Talent Ranking for last year and named the fourth-most innovative nation in World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, Lo said.
It also commands a more than 50 percent market share as a provider of photovoltaic, and information and communications technology products, he said.
These strengths combined with a shifting global economy have presented an opportune time for the nation to transform itself into a center for high-tech research and development, he added.
China used to be the “world’s factory,” but the pandemic has exposed its incompetence and sparked an “irreversible” trend that has seen international firms accelerating their withdrawal from China, Su said.
Taiwan’s successful response and transparency in its fight against the pandemic, as well as efforts to ensure information security, are all built upon its democratic values, which have shown international companies that it is a reliable partner and provided them with confidence in the nation as an ideal destination to redirect their investment, he said.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS