The government is to budget NT$5 billion (US$175.6 million) over the next five years to promote a program on the research and development (R&D) of defense technologies at local universities, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of National Defense announced yesterday.
The program prioritizes seven research areas: information and communications technology and smart technology; key system analysis and integration; advanced sensors and precision manufacturing; advanced propulsion systems and aerial vehicles; advanced system engineering; advanced vessels and underwater vehicles; and new material and mechanics research, the science ministry said in a news release.
The two ministries would each contribute half of the budget, Executive Yuan Office of Science and Technology Deputy Executive Secretary Andrew Yeh (葉哲良) told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
In the past, defense technology was mainly developed to meet the needs of the military’s army, navy or air force branches, but now emphasis is increasingly being placed on information security and robotics amid growing demand for civilian applications and interdisciplinary talent, Yeh said.
While the military-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has its own information security projects, it is less sensitive to new trends in academia, and the program aims to fortify its connections, he said.
Giving an example, Yeh said that very few countries are capable of making advanced lithium batteries used in submarines and hopefully Taiwan could be among the top five countries that can produce them.
The two ministries plan to recruit 150 graduate students over five years, with each student receiving a monthly grant of NT$30,000 to NT$60,000, he said.
Foreign students cannot join the program, he added.
Universities interested in the program can submit applications to the science ministry by Tuesday, he said, adding that the ministry plans to select three to six schools to establish research centers for the program.
The promulgation of the Defense Industry Development Act (國防產業發展條例) last year shows the need for more long-term talent cultivation programs in the coming decades, Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.
Technologies related to artificial intelligence, 5G and even 6G communications, Internet of Things, as well as quantum computing, are key to defense technology development, Wu said, encouraging students to study in the related fields.
The defense ministry has over the past two months met with faculty and students at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University to promote defense technology, Deputy Minister of National Defense Vice Admiral Lee Tsung-hsiao (李宗孝) said.
Many experts on defense technology have worked at the Chungshan institute, while students in the new program would also be able to seek employment in the private sector, he said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS