Conclusions reached at the National Science Council’s (NSC) first science and technology development consultation conference will be planned out in different phases, NSC Deputy Director-General Hocheng Hong (賀陳弘) said yesterday.
The last session of the conference yesterday morning discussed how to stem the nation’s brain drain, an issue brought up by a number of academics and heavyweights from the private sector.
Minister Without Portfolio Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) said the lack of talent that Taiwan now faces is exacerbated by the an imbalance in the supply and demand of talent, the biased and rigid of education system, poor training and inconsistencies between the need for fresh talent and loss of talent to intense international competition.
Kuan said if the problem cannot be solved in three to five years, Taiwan would become a “third-rate” nation.
Stan Shih (施振榮), founder of Acer Group, said there were many young people in Taiwan with a lot of talent, but they lack the right environment to develop their potential. Shi said industries should invest more in training young people.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) said Taiwan does not lack technology talent, but rather people who can transform technology into economic value, middle-management level personnel who are loyal and responsible and top-management personnel who have leadership abilities.
The problem is not so much a lack in the supply of talent, but rather that there has been been little advance in quality in the past 10 years, he said.
As for the discussions on how to drive top-down science and technology programs and how to improve the linkage between academic and business sectors, Hochen said the National Science and Technology Program at the council was already being planned.
The second stage will invite suggestions on how to provide “seed funding” to incubate innovation next year, he said.
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