A Nobel laureate has received a Taiwan Employment Gold Card for the first time, representing a new milestone in Taiwan’s efforts to attract global talent, the National Development Council (NDC) said today.
NDC Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) presented Arieh Warshel with the card at a ceremony at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU).
Warshel won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Martin Karplus and Michael Levitt for “the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems.”
Photo courtesy of the National Development Council
In the 1970s, Warshel developed a way to combine quantum and classical mechanics, allowing computers to simulate biological processes such as enzyme reactions.
His work laid the groundwork for computer-aided drug development, enzyme research and protein engineering, earning him recognition as a pioneer of computational structural biology.
Warshel has taught at the University of Southern California since 1976, where he is now a distinguished professor and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences.
Warshel was invited this year to join NYCU’s International Graduate Program of Semiconductor Technology as an honorary professor, where he is to deepen cooperation with Taiwan in talent development, semiconductors and other key technologies, the NDC said in a news release today.
Warshel has strong ties to Taiwanese academia, as one of his former PhD students returned to Taiwan and helped establish NYCU’s Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Institute in 2001, laying the foundation for training bioinformatics talent.
Computational chemistry requires strong computing power and biomedical applications, Yeh said, adding that Taiwan has world-class capabilities in artificial intelligence computing, semiconductors and drug development.
As the Gold Card makes coming to Taiwan “as easy as going home,” Warshel would be able to continue sharing his expertise with Taiwan’s academic and industry sectors, he said.
Gold Card holders can freely work, change jobs or start businesses in Taiwan, while eligible holders also receive tax benefits on salaried and overseas income, the NDC said.
Their families also benefit from measures including family visits, National Health Insurance and the right for spouses to work freely, the council said.
The Gold Card significantly shortens the path to permanent residency, allowing eligible top global talent to apply after as little as one year of residence, it said.
Cardholders can also use expedited or automated immigration clearance, making Taiwan more attractive to international talent in terms of work, taxes, family life, long-term residency and ease of entry, it added.
Attracting talent is not just about bringing people to Taiwan, but also encouraging them to stay, the council said.
Through the International Talent Taiwan Office, the government provides one-stop support from applications and employment to daily life, while working with other agencies to strengthen support for areas including children’s education, finance and housing, it said.
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