A Taiwan-UK innovative industries program was launched in Taipei yesterday to improve research and development (R&D) cooperation between the two nations.
The British government is to spend ￡200,000 (US$281,348) in the program’s first year to bolster collaboration in key areas including biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics, clean energy and autonomous vehicles.
The majority of the funds is to be spent on supporting Taiwanese researchers from universities, research and technology organizations and Academia Sinica to conduct research in the UK from two weeks to 12 months, with half of the travel costs to be covered by the British government.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
It is the first time that the British government is going to provide funding for Taiwanese researchers to conduct research in the UK.
Britain’s long tradition of excellence in science research makes it a great partner for innovation, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Chief Scientific Adviser Robin Grimes said in his opening remarks at yesterday’s ceremony.
“We have a number of the world’s best universities. We have also been spending money on new research institutions,” Grimes said, adding that Britain is also home to the world’s second-highest number of Nobel laureates at 129.
Thanking Grimes for his support for collaboration between the two nations, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said he is pleased to see how much progress the two nations have made.
Chen said the two nations are on the same page in terms of industrial strategy, as London is clear that science, research and innovation would drive the industries of the future, while Taipei has launched the “five plus two” industrial innovation program and the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
“Today’s launch is just one example of that progress and our potential for the future,” Chen said.
The deadline for applying to the program is April 30, British Office Taipei Senior Science and Innovation Officer Jasper Meyns said.
Whether a second round of applications would be accepted depends on the number of applicants in the first round, he said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS