A Czech delegation yesterday visited several technological agencies on the fourth day of their trip in Taiwan, with members expressing an interest in pursuing exchanges in biomedicine, artificial intelligence (AI) and aerospace technology.
Led by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, the group visited the Industrial Technology and Research Institute (ITRI) in Hsinchu, before traveling to the Executive Yuan in Taipei to meet with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
ITRI president Edwin Liu (劉文雄) said the two nations could complement each other, as Taiwan is strong in technology application, while the Czech Republic is competitive in fundamental research.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Science and Technology
The two countries could work together to transition technologies from the research lab to the marketplace, Liu said, adding that the two sides have since 2013 cooperated in areas such as biomedical technology, mechanics and materials chemistry.
Vystrcil said that when he was introduced to Taiwan’s mask-making machinery, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing system and other disease prevention equipment, he hoped his country could learn more about Taiwan’s technological developments.
He said that he was particularly impressed with the PCR testing system, which takes only one hour to detect the COVID-19 virus in its early stage, compared with the standard 24-hour period.
The group also visited Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) in Taipei.
While the meeting only lasted about an hour, many members were keen to deepen exchanges with the local technology sector, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Shieh Dar-bin (謝達斌) told reporters after the meeting.
Several members said they had visited Taiwan, with one saying that they had visited Taiwan eight times, he added.
AI, agricultural biotechnology, aerospace technology and material sciences are potential areas for cooperation, Shieh said.
Several academic and industry members in the afternoon visited the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute and the National Center for High-performance Computing, both affiliates of the National Applied Research Laboratories.
Czech Technical University in Prague and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology inked a research agreement.
The schools, which have been engaged in academic exchanges since 2006, said they hoped to step up joint researches between faculties and students, as well as collaborations between industry and academia.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan
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