BUILDING A FUTURE: Chen Liang-gee said his ministry pushed to hold the national science and technology conference a year early as it seeks to counter a brain drain
Taipei Times
Date: Jan 29, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) used an annual lunar-year-
Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee, center, speaks at a year-end news conference at the ministry yesterday in Taipei, as deputy ministers Hsieh Ta-pin, left, and Hsu Yu-chin look on. Photo: CNA
end news conference in Taipei to outline the government’s plans to boost the nation’s technological competitiveness, including a new subsidy program for outstanding doctoral students in key technology fields.
The Ministry of Science and Technology’s budget this year is NT$38.8 billion (US$1.26 billion), up from last year’s NT$36.5 billion — which had been an eight-year low, and it would continue striving to boost its budget for basic research, Chen said.
To draw up a road map for the nation’s technological development, the ministry has advised the Executive Yuan to move up the 11th national science and technology conference to this year, instead of next year, and it would host several preparatory meetings to collect opinions prior to the conference, he said.
Taiwan has a shortage of people in fields related to biotechnology and digital transition, including gene sequencing, manufacturing, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, and quantum computing, he said. [FULL STORY]
