SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Launched into orbit Aug. 25, 2017, Formosat-5 is a homegrown ultra-high resolution Earth observation satellite operated by the National Space Organization. (Courtesy of NSO)
Fact Focus：
- Taiwan is one of the world’s leading producers of information and communication technology products.
- World Economic Forum ranks Taiwan 15th out of 137 economies in the Global Competitiveness Report released in September 2017.
In April 2014, the National Science Council—the government’s dedicated agency charged with advancing science and technology development, supporting academic research and promoting the nation’s three science parks—was reorganized and renamed as the Ministry of Science and Technology. While continuing its predecessor’s innovative measures and programs, the MOST, with a new organizational structure, aims to focus academic research on the needs of industry as Taiwan relies on science and technology innovation as a key driver of economic growth and national progress.
The success of Taiwan’s high-tech enterprises is largely attributable to the government’s generous funding of applied scientific development. With government support, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, the National Applied Research Laboratories and the Institute for Information Industry all played important roles in jump-starting the nation’s rise as a technological powerhouse by conducting research, aiding the private sector with R&D and exploring new technologies.
Supporting Innovation
ITRI has been instrumental in establishing several companies that have gone on to command prominent positions in the global marketplace, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and United Microelectronics Corp., which are among the world’s top custom integrated circuit chipmakers. The institute’s innovative prowess is best illustrated by the fact that in the past 10 years it has won a total of 36 R&D 100 Awards, highly prestigious honors given out by U.S.-based R&D Magazine.
The goal of III is to boost Taiwan’s global competitiveness by providing a platform for digital transformation. The institute conducts R&D on innovative ICT products and applications. It also plays a key role in advancing ICT development in the public and private sectors by serving as a think tank on related policymaking and promoting talent cultivation. Over the past three decades, more than 480,000 professionals have received training through III.
After years of dedication by the public and private sectors toward developing technological expertise, Taiwan’s science parks are now home to clusters of companies pursuing breakthroughs in fields such as integrated circuits, nanotechnology, optoelectronics and precision machinery.
