MOC commits US$341.6 million to promoting Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry

2018/03/09

A total of NT$10 billion (US$341.6 million) is to be spent on promoting Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry under a multiyear commitment recently outlined by the Ministry of Culture.
 
 Comprising the new Cultural Content Investment Project and existing Cultural and Creative Investment Program, the initiative involves grants and subsidies spanning culture-related products, services and techniques in the audiovisual, publishing and ACG—anime, comics and games—sectors.
 
 The project and program are budgeted at NT$6 billion and NT$4 billion, respectively, with the former greenlighted at the beginning of last month by the National Development Fund and the latter a current MOC allocation. Established in 2006, the Executive Yuan-overseen NDF primarily invests in key Taiwan sectors such as aerospace, biotechnology, cultural and creative, semiconductor and telecommunications.
 
 Under the project’s proposed guidelines and regulations, which are set for official release at the end of next month, the ministry will employ greater flexibility in assessing assistance applications and cooperation proposals aimed at boosting private investment in cultural content production. The approach is expected to encourage more e-commerce platforms, distributors, financial holding companies and startups to partner with the MOC in this regard.
 
 According to the ministry, the NT$10 billion outlay represents MOC Minister Cheng Li-chiun’s vision of building the cultural and creative industry into a significant driver of economic growth through regulatory reforms and tailored support measures. It is also a realization of President Tsai Ing-wen’s goal of ensuring the long-term profitability of the ACG sector and positioning it as one of the nation’s cultural flagbearers on the international stage.
 
 At the Golden Comic Awards last September in Taipei City, Tsai set out six policies pertaining to the ACG sector: allocating more funds for anime, comics and games development; encouraging and nurturing homegrown talents; expanding distribution and exhibition channels; promoting interdisciplinary collaboration; and setting up a national comics museum.
 
 These policies will help transform the ACG sector into a major cultural and creative industry player while raising global awareness of Taiwan’s distinct cultural characteristics, Tsai said.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=6&post=130594)