MOST, US institutions cooperate on talent development

2017/04/11

The government-supported Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI) inked agreements recently aimed at cultivating the professional development of high-level Taiwan talents with four leading U.S. universities and medical institutions.
 
 Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee oversaw the signing of the accords with Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, University of California, Berkeley, and Massachusetts General Hospital during a 10-day visit to the U.S. that wrapped up April 10.
 
 The U.S. institutions have agreed to accept participants in the Ministry of Science and Technology’s new Learn, Explore, Aspire, Pioneer project. Overseen by STPI, the initiative will provide funding this year for about 50 Taiwan doctorate holders to conduct research on innovative technologies at U.S. education institutions or explore startup business models in Silicon Valley.
 
 According to the minister, the LEAP project will help transform Taiwan into a global R&D hub by fostering ties between top Taiwan talents and leading industry and research centers in the U.S. Open to doctorate holders in a variety of innovative fields ranging from aviation and biotechnology to green energy and semiconductors, the initiative aims to foster the development of cutting-edge sectors in Taiwan. Applications opened earlier this month, with successful candidates receiving subsidies to cover travel, tuition and living expenses.
 
 Under the cooperation agreements, Stanford University, MIT and the University of California, Berkeley will offer LEAP participants positions on high-level research projects. The Taiwan scholars will also study methods employed by these institutions in fostering academia-industry collaboration.
 
 In addition, STPI and MGH will jointly launch the Boston-Taiwan HealthTech initiative, a subproject of LEAP. Designed to bolster Taiwan’s status in the emerging e-health industry, this program will enable up to three doctorate holders in the areas of medical informatics and programming to gain business and research experience at the U.S. hospital, Harvard Medical School and MIT Sloan School of Management.
 
 STPI is Taiwan’s top think tank for science and technology policy and the leading platform for connecting the country’s research communities. Based in Taipei City, it is part of the National Applied Research Laboratories under the MOST.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=113653)