The nation's first biomedical science park was officially established yesterday in Hsinchu County with President Chen Shui-bian (
"In the past, the development of Taiwan's information technology industry was an economic miracle. Now, the biomedical industry will also be a miracle," Chen said, expressing that the biomedical industry would open doors to profitable investment opportunities.
While Chen called the founding of the Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park a symbol of Taiwan's participation in the biomedical industry, construction on the park is not scheduled to begin until next year. It is slated to be completed and to begin operations in 2008, in keeping with the "Challenge 2008" national development project.
"Environmental impact assessments will be performed at the beginning of next year. Construction on public infrastructure will begin thereafter," confirmed Hsu Su-ming (
According to Hsu, the 38.3 hectare park will be the home of public infrastructure projects such as a general hospital, as well as private businesses and research facilities.
One of the core facilities of the park will be the National Taiwan University Medical Center, which will include the general hospital.
Construction on the hospital, a facility large enough to accommodate up to 700 patients, is expected to be completed by 2006, ahead of the park's completion.
According to Masaru Itani, chief executive officer of Nihon Sekkei, which has been commissioned to develop an overall plan for the park's infrastructure, the hospital's facilities will emphasize the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the nation's leading cause of death. The hospital will also be used as a center for bedside research.
The medical center will also feature a Cancer and Proton Therapy Center.
Chen Wei-Jae (
The park plans to bring in as much as NT$42.3 billion in investments by 2025.
While Hsu refrained from giving details as to the businesses that had expressed interest in joining the park, he commented that the issue was "delicate."
"If we let on that many companies are interested in investing, we face the problem of pressure from China," Hsu said, expressing that construction of public infrastructure would commence first, followed by private businesses.
"We're looking mostly to attract investors from abroad to the park. So far, they've said that the park's main advantages are Taiwan's talent pool and high quality medical resources," Hsu said.
He said that many investors would probably choose to set research and development headquarters in Taiwan while establishing manufacturing facilities in China.
The National Science Council also yesterday officially handed over the tasks of planning, constructing and operating the park to NTU amidst concerns from academia that the park's development will only benefit the university.
The park's official logo was also revealed for the first time yesterday. The green logo features a triangular figure with a superimposed image of bamboo leaves to symbolize Hsinchu, and the yin-yang symbol to indicate harmony.
According to park representatives, the logo represents vitality, health and regeneration.The park is strategically located in the government's planned development zone next to the Hsinchu station of the high-speed railway.
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