Government partnerships with academia and enterprises are key to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at the founding of the nation’s first academy dedicated to the circular economy.
The National Chung Hsing University Academy of Circular Economy in Nantou County is the first educational institution of its kind to be established in Taiwan and is to play a lead role in the nation’s efforts to tackle the challenges of climate change, the president said.
The academy is supported by 41 entrepreneurial partners to serve as the backbone of the national team for the development of net zero technologies, she said, adding that more research institutions are planned for the campus.
Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei Times
The creation of the Nantou campus of the Taichung-based university demonstrates the government’s commitment to developing a workforce and technology for the Taiwanese economy to thrive, she said.
Other research institutes would be established at the Nantou campus to provide the education the country needs to create to build a high-tech workforce, she said.
The Nantou campus is in Jhongsing New Village (中興新村), the former seat of the now-defunct Taiwan Provincial Government, university president Shieu Fuh-sheng (薛富盛) said.
As a former economic and political node, the township’s highly developed economic zone lacks only an institution of higher learning, which the founding of the campus would provide, he said.
The Academy of Circular Economy — established under Taipei’s directive to boost industry-university collaboration in key technological fields — would become Asia’s first research institute for new agriculture, digital and green semiconductor technologies, he said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and other major corporations are assisting with the academy’s work to develop sustainable and zero emission technologies, he said.
Over the next decade, the university plans to continue expanding the campus to establish six academies, three research centers and other facilities, including an “ark” botanical garden, a museum of entomology, dorms, classroom buildings and labs, he said.
The creation of the campus can potentially remake Nantou into a tech industry powerhouse for Taiwan, Nantou County commissioner candidate Frida Tsai (蔡培慧) said, adding that she would boost green technologies and social welfare if elected.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS