Technology-related research and development (R&D) spending last year made up 3.63 percent of the nation’s GDP, with most of it coming from private businesses, the Ministry of Science and Technology said yesterday.
The ratio of R&D spending to GDP has been setting new records over the past few years, rising from 3.09 percent in 2016 to 3.63 percent last year, the ministry said.
Last year, the nation’s overall tech-related R&D expenditure was NT$718.8 billion (US$25.96 billion), up by 8.8 percent over 2019, ministry data showed.
Among the total, 83.2 percent, or NT$598.2 billion, came from non-government sectors — such as higher-education institutions, non-profits and private enterprises — while 16.8 percent, or NT$120.6 billion, came from the government, up by 10.6 percent and 0.7 percent respectively, the data showed.
In 2016, non-government sectors contributed 78.6 percent to the nation’s total R&D spending on technology, while the government contributed 21.4 percent, the data showed.
Thanks to the nation’s success in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, its economic activities last year were not halted, the ministry said.
Rising demand for products related to 5G, artificial intelligence of things and remote operations have spurred the nation’s R&D in semiconductors, it said.
About 71.3 percent of last year’s spending, or NT$512.2 billion, was devoted to technical development, followed by 21.7 percent (NT$156.1 billion) to applied research and 7 percent (NT$50.5 billion) to general research, data showed.
“The business sector remains the main pillar of the nation’s research and development efforts. Its contribution to the nation’s total R&D spending has been exceeding 80 percent since 2018,” the ministry said.
The overall R&D workforce is also growing, with researchers making up 58.5 percent of the workers, followed by technical and support staff at 36.5 percent and 5 percent respectively, ministry data showed.
However, the R&D workforce is aging, with the number of personnel aged 45 or older rising over the past few years, the data showed.
The nation’s R&D funding and personnel are growing despite barriers presented by COVID-19, but there are still many challenges ahead in the post-pandemic era, the ministry said.
In related news, a bill on the ministry’s reorganization on Tuesday passed a third reading in the Legislative Yuan, meaning the ministry is to be restructured into a national science and technology council.
A bill for the establishment of a new digital development ministry also passed its third reading.
The ministry was known as the National Science Council before March 2014.
The ministry on Tuesday said that a council would be better equipped to facilitate interagency negotiation, and connect advanced research and industrial applications.
The new council is to be inaugurated in March, it said.
The council, to be comprised of tech leaders and representatives from various agencies, would be more beneficial for the nation’s development, former minister of science and technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
RSS