Biotechnology

As introduced by the Taiwan Yearbook 2007:

Biotechnology is expected to play a vital role in the 21st century and the promotion of the biotech sector is one of Taiwan's top priorities. There will be an influx of more than US$5 billion from both the public and private sectors for biotech investment within the next five years, and more than 500 biotech companies will be established within the next ten years. Government biotechnology R&D expenditures in 2003 was about US$485 million.

Taiwan and its people have various advantages that give them world-class competitiveness. These include the entrepreneurial spirit of the business people, the nine clinical trial centers that strictly follow FDA guidelines and regulations, the roughly 6,000 top professionals working in the R&D field, and the educational institutions that produce around 8,000 graduates in biotech-related disciplines every year.

Currently, Taiwan has approximately 150 biotech companies and, with a few exceptions, most of them are in their nascent stages. Through strategic technology transfer and alliances, which are strongly recommended by world-acclaimed S&T advisors, Taiwan is expected to achieve 18 successful investment cases in 2010.

With more than 500 booths, the Bio Taiwan 2003 exhibition, held over four days in July 2003 at the Taipei World Trade Center, was the largest such fair in the Asia-Pacific region. The world's first cloned goats were exhibited, as were biochip sets developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which are capable of diagnosing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Furthermore, the Taikong Technology Co. presented completely luminescent transgenic fish and Biowell and Markwin Biotechnology Inc. presented DNA anti-counterfeiting technology.

The government has constructed a blueprint for the special biotech and medical area in the Hsinchu Science Park. The construction of the area is expected to cost US$785 million and will begin operations in 2016. Another biotech park on the island, the Biotech Area in the Southern Taiwan Science Park, had attracted US$362 million in capital and lured 17 companies to set up shop there by the end of 2002.

The National Science Council launched the National Research Program for Genomic Medicine (NRPGM) in 2002 as Taiwan's major biotechnology initiative. Research programs of the NRPGM have focused on disease-oriented topics and ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI). Topics such as lung cancer, liver cancer, and infectious and highly heritable diseases are the major targets of research because of their impact on national public health.

Some of NRPGM's core activities, such as providing high-throughput genotyping services, will soon be made available to the international community for use in the fields of biomedicine and biotechnology. To boost the sector, government agencies plan to adopt strategies, such as encouraging foreign pharmaceutical companies to set up branches in Taiwan, and relaxing related laws and review procedures. Annual sales in the biotechnology sector reached US$4.92 billion in 2005, with a year-on-year growth of 10.42 percent.

Government expenditures on biotech R&D totaled US$485 million in 2005. Utilizing its highly educated workforce and abundant capital, Taiwan seeks to transform the biotechnology sector into a key industry that will attract an estimated US$4 billion in investments annually and boast 25 percent growth in revenues by 2008. Taiwan has over 200 biotech companies, most of them in nascent stages. Bio Taiwan, an annual exhibition hosted by Taiwan, is the largest of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, with over 900 stands in the 2006 event.

In 2004, a biotech incubation center was established in the Nankang Software Park to provide facilities to interested firms. Biotech companies are also clustered in the science parks in Hsinchu, Tainan and Kaohsiung. Clustering is anticipated to raise Taiwan's competitiveness in the biotechnology industry, allowing for a comprehensive integration of R&D, test runs, and production.