President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文, fifth right)

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Monday that the inauguration of the National Biotechnology Research Park marks a major stride forward for Taiwan's biomedical industry and a milestone in the advancement of national technology and research innovation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tsai said that faced with a volatile global environment, the key to strengthening Taiwan's economic power hinges on speedily improving technology standards along with research and development innovation.

The park in Taipei's Nangang District is home to several government agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Food and Drug Administration, the Ministry of Science and Technology's National Laboratory Animal Center and the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Development Center for Biotechnology, as well as research centers from Academia Sinica, the nation's highest research institution which oversaw construction of the park.

Following the inauguration, the government agencies will work with Academia Sinica to create an environment favorable for the development of biotechnology, new pharmaceuticals and vaccines, according to Tsai.

Once other agencies and institutions move into the park, it will increase the scope of services and research functions, Tsai said, adding that led by an innovation incubation center, a biomedical cluster is expected to be developed at the park and help advance the development of innovation in the industry.

Through hardware and software integration, Tsai said she believes the biomedical industry will be a crucial and most competitive sector in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) said the government aims to build the park into an international biomedical research and innovation hub, adding that a management committee for the park composed of officials from Academia Sinica and the three ministries has been established.

Under the committee, an operational center and BioHub Taiwan, a business incubation and startup services center, have also been set up to work toward exploring the development of new pharmaceuticals and help foster startups, according to Liao.

(By Phoenix Hsu and Evelyn Kao)
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