Government to invest NT$20 billion in applications for nanotechnology

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on March 3, 2006. It reports that the government in Taiwan plans to invest NT$20 billion in industries that apply nanotechnology to daily life. The plan indicates the government's aim to develop Taiwan into a global nanotechnology research and development center.

Because nanotechnology cannot be commercialized in a short period of time, presently the government plans to put its emphasis on basic research and development for the technology. Overseas workers in the fields of science and technology will be encouraged to return to Taiwan. The government also plans to increase the annual quota for military recruits to work in these fields as a substitute for their compulsory military service, from 3,500 to 10,000.

In the future five years, the government will appropriate NT$32 billion for the development of six strategic daily-life science and technology industries. These include soft electronics, RFID (radio frequency identification), nanotechnology, intelligent robots, intelligent vehicles, and intelligent accommodation. The budget for 2006 will reach NT$5.8 billion. It is further estimated that by 2013, the manufacturing value of Taiwan's intelligent robots will hit NT$90 billion, with that of RFID hitting NT$70 billion.